


Of Time and Tragedy

by assortedpencils, SailorDickPlanet



Series: Of Swords and Scales [2]
Category: Tales of the Abyss
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Blood and Gore, Dragons, Elves, Gods, M/M, Magic, OC - Miasma Sentience, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-24
Updated: 2017-12-30
Packaged: 2018-09-01 20:32:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 31,475
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8637145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/assortedpencils/pseuds/assortedpencils, https://archiveofourown.org/users/SailorDickPlanet/pseuds/SailorDickPlanet
Summary: DiscontinuedPartner has abandoned the project, I am unable to continue it on my own.





	1. Times Do Change

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone, Sailor and I are back to bring you another round of dragon rp turned fanfic! We were so floored by how many people enjoyed Of Swords and Scales- we never imagined that level of response to it. As such, the both of us are quite proud to bring you its official epilogue/continuation! If you haven't read that, please go and do so as this contains massive spoilers for OSaS' ending. Thank you to everyone who has given us a read, and I hope you stick with us for this new journey!

_Lorelei Decan, Efreetday 20 N.D. 2245_

The sound of coins and treasure sliding against one another echoed in the dim cavern as the resident bronze dragon stretched his legs out far, opening his claws to flex the stiffened digits. After lying about asleep for so long, he needed at least a little bit of movement to get his body going again. It still felt dreadfully unusual to be in a form so large, powerful, and different than the human one he'd spent most of his life in- well, lucidly anyways. It was going to take quite a bit of time to fully adjust to his new transformation.

He slowly pushed up onto his feet and stretched somewhat like a cat, wings flaring out before tucking in against his body. He sat back on his haunches and turned his gaze around their chosen den, the cave that started the entire adventure of theirs. With that idea in mind, his gaze fell to the resident red dragon who'd been still sleeping beside him, still as radiant and bright as he could ever remember.

As he moved to step away and fully stretch out his legs, Guy wondered if it would be better to wait since his larger form would undoubtedly cause a quite the racket. Treasure was not the quietest of beds to sleep on, and if Luke still needed to sleep, the last thing he wanted to do was wake him early from his hibernation yet again. Bad things always seemed to happen whenever that occurred...

Unfortunately for the bronze, he still had very poor control over his awkward new form. The treasure beneath his back foot slid before giving way, and he tumbled down to the cold cavern floor with an audible thud. Sprawling out on the bottom, he groaned a little, from more embarrassment than anything else. 

"Dammit..." he huffed, trying to reorient himself back upright. 

True to his concerns, the commotion had awakened his sleeping mate, although the term jarred would be more appropriate. The red had shot up to his feet, his teeth bared, head low, and wings flared out, ready to pounce on whatever threat may come his way. It took a moment for what actually happened to register in Luke’s sleep-addled mind, and when it did, he started to laugh. “Oh, Rem, what did you get yourself into now?” he chortled amusedly, shaking his head as he jumped down from his treasure pile and walked over to Guy’s side.

"I was actually trying to be quiet for you, but you can see how well _that_ went," he huffed as Luke helped him back up to his feet.

“Mm, you should stay here and take some time to get used to being awake again. I’ll go out and find us some breakfa-“ Luke abruptly paused, looking up and down at Guy for a couple moments. “…Turn back into a human,” he instructed, and while Guy gave him a quizzical look, the bronze complied with his wishes. 

Guy stepped back and tried to concentrate; it was still a bit difficult for him to control his various forms. After a bit of effort, he shifted down into his human form and watched as Luke did the same. 

Luke had looked a little different than before, older than he had been when they'd taken their nap, which came as quite the surprise to Guy. His features were a little more adult, and he stood taller than before, if by a matter of a few inches. 

"Well now, you're almost as tall as me and you almost look as old as I do. Wait, wait. You can see for yourself. Where's that gold plated mirror I saw…?” Guy turned around and eyed the treasure trove before finding the bejeweled mirror half buried under a pile of coins. "Here, look at yourself," he beamed, holding it up for him so that Luke could properly see his own features.

A large grin came to Luke’s face as he threw his hands up into the air. “Alright! I finally got taller! I’d been stuck at that height for the last seven hundred years!” he cheered loudly. Finally, he looked like more of an adult. No longer was he stuck in the hell that was being a perpetual teenager- although he still had a good two thousand four hundred years until he was _actually_ physically mature and considered a real adult. 

He tore his gaze away from the mirror and looked back at his mate, still positively grinning from ear to ear. “Ah, I can’t wait to go flying and see how much bigger my wingspan has gotten! I hope it’s not too big though, I don’t want to start sacrificing my speed and agility…” he trailed off a little, before clapping a hand onto Guy’s shoulder. “I’m gonna go hunting and get us some food. I’d like to take you with me, but we still have to work on your flying, and at the moment I don’t exactly trust your coordination since this is your first time waking up after being asleep for so long. So, just stay here and really let yourself wake up, it can take a while. I’ll be back soon!” he threw his arms around Guy and gave him a very tight, affectionate hug before changing back into his draconic form and exiting the cave.

Luke stepped out into the warmth of the sun, taking a deep breath of that fresh mountain air as he stretched his wings out and just basked in the light for a few moments. No more fighting, no more war, just peace… two hundred and twenty seven years of peace. Two centuries had passed, so most of their friends were gone, then. It seems like all of that had just happened yesterday but… Luke had forgotten the pain that came with befriending mortals. For a brief moment he thanked the gods for allowing Guy the power to live on with him, but their friends…

Well, Tear would still be alive for the next nine thousand two hundred years or so. They were absolutely going to visit her now that they were awake again.

The morning was spent hunting, Luke flying around the mountain pass high overhead, swooping down on boar and wolves whenever he spotted them, gathering as much as he could carry up into his mouth and grasp. When fully loaded up he returned back to the cave and dropped everything onto the ground. Four good sized boars and six wolves, enough meat to wet their beaks for now, though they’d definitely be hungry later on. “Guy!” he called out rather loudly, before eagerly tearing into one of the boars for himself.

Guy moved to greet him only to watch Luke tear into the still warm corpse of the boar he'd been carrying. Now, Guy had gotten used to eating just meat in that week that they had spent in Grand Chokmah, but watching it be ripped off a body like that, hair and all, was... unsettling. He grimaced slightly, but the growling of his stomach made putting it off impossible. "I'm too hungry to care..." he muttered more to himself than anything before chomping into one of the wolves. The fur was... gross. The texture was weird and it really reminded him of what he was doing. Still, his instincts were at least strong enough to force him through the whole thing and onto one of the boar.

"I was thinking of some basic flight practice for you to start off with; you have wings, you need to learn how to use them,” Luke began in between mouthfuls. “Maybe some magic lessons too? I was also thinking we could go off and see Tear. I'm sure she'd be happy to see us." 

"I'm sure she misses us since it has been a little while. We had a pretty long adventure together, all of us," Guy said easily, feeling a bit nostalgic. Despite all of the horrible and unspeakable things that occurred on that journey, there had been good aspects to it. "We should head there as soon as I can fly." Guy finished scarfing down the remainder of his meal, leaving the rest for Luke to finish off. "As for my magic, though... That sounds like a fun idea, but you’re a pyromancer and you said that my element was earth, so would you even be able to teach me?"

"Maybe not,” Luke said as he finished up his own meal. “Mana channeled through Efreet and mana channeled through Gnome feel very different from one another. Tear's a master in every possible school of magic, though. I'm sure she'd be able to tutor you personally, if not, at least find you someone who could teach you. We’ll worry about that later, for now, come on. Let's get to work on that flying of yours."

“Alright, alright. Lead the way.”

Luke led Guy out to a large, open expanse of land just beyond the nearby river. Here there were very few obstacles that could impede on their practice, save for a few sparse trees. "Okay, there's three things when it comes to flight: speed, altitude, and balance. We're going to work on the balance bit because without it, you're not going to be able to fly. I want you to follow my lead, alright? Flap your wings slowly and build up speed gradually. Enough so that you can pick yourself up off the ground and keep yourself hovering. You’ll need to keep level, and it's going to be a major challenge since you're already fully grown. We learned this as whelps so..." Luke beat his wings and hovered off of the ground, demonstrating for him. "Like this, see?"

"Okay..." Guy breathed, spreading out his wings. It felt strange to flap them so much, and soon he lifted a bit off of the ground. That was when his weight shifted forward a little too much, and he tried to adjust by leaning back. He overcompensated and rolled over too far, causing him to lose balance entirely. Guy ended up falling onto the ground with a hard thud, and lay there for a moment, staring out at the sky in disbelief. "This is... harder than I thought," he murmured and moved to stand up and try again.

"It is; balance requires you to build up wing muscles that you've never had before," Luke said as he touched back down to the ground, watching Guy struggle to keep himself aloft. He tried to give Guy some verbal pointers here and there, or show by demonstration, but this was the sort of thing where there was only so much you could do or show- it was only truly learned through practice, and boy did Guy need a lot of it.

Luke stayed with him, curling up off to the side beneath the shade of a tree where he continued to watch Guy's slow going progress. He was getting better as time went on, if only marginally. He was no longer tipping over outright, which was a good step in the right direction. "Let me know when you're feeling comfortable enough to move on, because next is adding balance with forward momentum, and I'm going to have you fly from point A to point B," he called out.

"I think I’m ready,” Guy said with a determined nod. “I don't know how much more I can do of this though. I'm already getting a little sore..." 

Luke pushed up to his feet and approached. "I want you to try flying in a circle low to the ground, like this," he demonstrated once again. "Slow, easy, and you get to work on momentum and balance. Just do a couple of circles. I don't want you over stressing your wings."

Guy moved aside and took to the air. Momentum was a bit harder to adjust to and he had to land after a few seconds to get his proper bearings. Another try and Guy, though anything but smoothly, managed to stay in the air for a full circle. Landing, he shook out his wings and tried again with a bit more certainty than before.

"I think I'm starting to get the hang of it!" Guy exclaimed excitedly as he landed down onto the ground again, tucking his wings in close to himself. "But I think I need to stop… my back is starting to really hurt."

"Yes, please rest. I don't want you hurting yourself. Wing injuries are the worst, and they take forever to heal," Luke huffed, speaking from past experience. He got up and trotted over to his mate, going in to nuzzle him again when a very loud, unfamiliar sound roared overhead. Both their heads shot up and they saw… what were they even seeing? 

"What _is_ that thing!?” Guy gasped with wide eyes. “It looks like a ship but it's... flying!?"

“Stay here!” Luke ordered before he took off to the skies immediately in pursuit after it. He beat his wings quickly and soared up high, moving in closer for a better look at this strange contraption. As Guy had observed, it was a ship of some kind, and there were people within that he could see through the glass windows, a mixture of humans and elves, all of whom were _very_ surprised to see a dragon investigating their vessel. Luke backed away and the ship flew off, the red dragon returning down to the mountain pass where Guy was still waiting for him.

Luke landed close by to Guy, watching as the bronze rushed over, intensely curious about what had just shot by overhead. "It was a human-elven ship, or at least those were the passengers," Luke replied, looking back up to the sky, seeing it disappear over the peaks of the Deo mountains. 

“A human-elven ship?! That’s so amazing!”

"How they got it to fly though, I could only guess. I thought you were the technological expert."

"I'm really not sure how they got it to fly... That kind of talk was pretty ludicrous before we slept..." Guy thought aloud. "Maybe they've just managed to get things done more quickly now that they're able to pool together minds from both the magic and non-magic side of the world?"

"It seems like the mortals have really outdone themselves this time. In all my years I've never woken up to _this_ level of technological advancement. We have to go and talk to Tear now, I'm dying to know what else is going on out in the world if they have flying ships."

“We can head there now if you’d like, I don’t mind riding on your back again for old time’s sake,” Guy said, feeling that wave of nostalgia hit him once more. “At the very least, we could cover part of the trip today and stop somewhere for the night since it’s getting a little late."

"Yulia city's pretty much on the other side of the planet from here, so of course we're going to have to stop somewhere- Chesedonia, if we're taking the most direct route. I mean we could stop over in Baticul, but I don't know if they’ve bothered to rebuild." he shrugged his shoulders a little. "I'm all for Chesedonia though, I could kill for some more of that curry. You have to eat some too, now that you're a ferocious fire breathing dragon." 

"I'm pretty sure my tongue's never recovered from that, you know," Guy jabbed at him playfully.

“Yeah, yeah. Also that bastard clerk that banned me last time we were there is long dead, so we shouldn't have any problems going, as long as we keep low profiles just to be on the safe side. You don't know how much I love my spicy curry." 

The way Luke phrased that had Guy pausing. "That guy didn't seem _that old_. You sure he's dead, because I don't want to get there and start one hell of a scene because of what we did before?" he asked with a slight cock of his head. 

Luke’s stomach dropped at the realization that Guy didn't understand that a large amount of time had passed.

Oh no, oh no, no... he thought he had properly explained this to him back before they went to sleep, this... he wasn't prepared for this. Guy still thought that their human friends were alive, that the world was unchanged… How could he possibly break that sort of news to him?

Luke dropped his gaze and swapped back into his human form, his arms crossed, a grim expression on his face. "Guy you... you should assume human form for this," he said softly, still keeping his gaze down. Guy will probably want to cry after he breaks the news to him... 

"What's going on...?" Guy asked warily, but he complied and swapped forms.

"Guy it's... it's been over two hundred years since we went to sleep," he said as calmly as he could, reaching out to take hold of Guy's hands within his own. "When we were saying our goodbyes to everyone back in Grand Chokmah... we were saying _goodbye_. I... I thought I had explained it to you, and you understood that. I am so, so _sorry_ that this is how you have to find out." 

"Two hundred? No way, we didn't sleep _that_ long," Guy shot back quickly. But the way Luke spoke, held his hands... "I... knew what you were saying back in Grand Chokmah but... We didn't sleep for that many years...It felt like a few at most, not... two hundred..." But that explained that ship in the sky, the fact that humans and elves were on good terms, why they'd said all of those goodbyes as they did back at the city. "It didn't feel like that long..." He murmured quietly, swallowing around a lump in his throat. Their friends... were gone. All but Tear. Not even that but the _world_ they knew was different and would take a great time to adjust to. "I should have realized it wasn't just..." he trailed off, angry with himself for letting this happen. He brought a hand free from Luke's own and rubbed at his eyes, not quite crying but tearing up.

Watching Guy come to terms with this was... painful, exceptionally so, but Luke knew that it didn't compare to the pain Guy was now facing, realizing that everything would never be the same again. He gently squeezed Guy's hand before stepping in, wrapping his arms around the man to hold him tightly. "This is part of being a dragon," he said softly, a hand coming up to run his fingers through Guy's hair, "being immortal. Time works different for us... it's why I was so upset when I realized that I did love you back then," he then cupped Guy's face, "because it's so easy for that time to slip by without any notice."

Guy shakily sighed with a slow nod. He reciprocated the hug and allowed his head to fall into Luke’s shoulder, shutting his eyes as he mourned for all that he'd just lost. He knew they would die eventually but... to sleep through it all? The rest of their lives lived and so much more? It was rough to endure. 

"This part is awful," he murmured. "It just… It feels _wrong_ to have slept through all of that. I'll get used to it… Eventually I’ll get used to it, but right now?" he took in a stuttered breath. "Sorry, I should have... just come to terms with it before we even left them..."

Luke took in a very deep breath and exhaled slowly, looking down at Guy's chest rather than his face, "It does hurt. It's awful and painful and I _wish_ we could go back and spend more time with them but I just... I _had_ to sleep." Their journey had interrupted a necessary growth hibernation, after all.

"I know, I don't blame you." No, Guy understood that Luke had needed to sleep and the sooner he did so, the better for him. The only downside was that they missed out on so damn much. He sighed and shut his eyes, pulling himself together slowly. This would probably be a lingering sort of pain that would only vanish as time went on but for now, Guy had to at least push it aside since there was no point in dwelling. They were dead. They'd been dead. All they could hope now was that they had all led a good life in their stead and that he and Luke would live on with their memory. "I get why you were so reluctant about me before..." To be immortal and love a mortal, platonic or romantic, was hard. He drew back, wiping again at his eyes. "Let's... head to Chesedonia." That would prove a good distraction to get his mind back on things he could actually do and change.

"Alright," Luke said softly. He hesitated to pull away for a moment, not liking that they were just leaving things like this, but if this was what Guy wanted, then so be it. He did, however, lean in to give him a kiss; sweet and tender, a reminder that Luke loved him and that he still had him. He backed off after that and swapped forms, lowering himself down to allow Guy to climb up onto his back. Oh, this was so reminiscent, feeling Guy perched between his wings like this. With Guy settled in, he quickly took to the air, and it was a matter of minutes till they were out of the mountain pass.

\----

When they arrived at Chesedonia, Guy hopped from Luke's back and dusted some of the sand from his clothing. The heat was hot, as to be expected, but the earth dragon didn't find it nearly as awful as it had been before. "Doesn't seem like it's changed much," he mused as he peered in through the main entrance into the city. Someone did wander past them with supplies and Guy frowned. "...Except for style. What was he wearing?"

"Yeah, part of waking up after a long sleep is getting to discover _everything_ has changed, including the clothes.”

They began to walk into the merchant town, the stalls seemed better made now, the items on them even more artfully and in numerous quantity than before. A small family eyed them strangely and Guy frowned as he glanced down to his own clothes. Though clean and well kept, they were clearly from a different era than what was being worn now. 

"I think if we don't want to stand out too much then we're going to have to go get something new to wear." He gently tugged on his own shirt then eyed Luke's. This really was going to be strange to adjust to. "We can get your curry afterward."

"What? There's nothing wrong with our clothes-" Luke looked over at his mate and could see the obvious discomfort and self consciousness on his face. He sighed, shaking his head. Poor Guy, this really was going to be a rough transition for him. "Alright, alright," he caved in. "There's bound to be a few clothing stalls around the bazaar. Let's go check it out, I'm sure we've got enough money for some new clothing."

The bazaar was just as crowded as it had been two hundred years ago, if not more. Navigating through the packed streets was a challenge in of itself. There were many stalls packed to the brim with fine jewelry, fabrics and silks, spices, meats, weaponry, armor, but actual clothes? That took a bit of time to find. The first one found was tucked away in a corner of the bazaar, where they had some rather simple clothes for sale. The merchant at the stall took one look at them and laughed.

"I take it you two are in need of something more current?" he snickered and Luke frowned at him.

"Oh yes, laughing at your customers is a surefire way to secure a sale," Luke chided the man.

"Many apologies," the man said with a chuckle, "it's just that what you two are wearing is-"

"Old, we know."

"We've been... away from everything for a while," Guy explained as he looked at the clothing for sale. All of it looked so different, and yet quite stylish. He couldn’t help but to be amazed at how the style has evolved in two hundred years. Everything seemed to be much more form fitting than before, and the patterns were quite appealing.

"Here, let me cut you a deal,” the merchant began, “buy a full set of clothes and I’ll throw the other in for half off." Maybe it was because Luke looked less than thrilled at the teasing but Guy wasn't about to complain. "You look like someone with a... noble kind of air to you. This'd be a good choice." The man held up a tunic and undershirt that was a rather beautiful dark turquoise and white. Guy found it humorous he pegged him as a noble but he supposed that a tailor would need to know his clientele.

"What do you think, Luke?" Guy asked, a bit of a smile on his lips. Even if this was incredibly strange, it was kind of... fun to try new things.

"I think it looks fine," Luke said with a half shrug, but this didn't seem to sit well with the merchant who then pulled the clothes back and frowned at Luke.

"'Fine'?! Just 'fine'?! These are the best clothes that you will be able to find in all of Chesedonia! I assure you these are the highest quality fabrics money can buy!" 

Luke didn't look convinced by all of his talk, and walked up to the stall to grab one of the shirts. He felt the fabric between his fingers and scoffed. "This isn’t even real fabric, it’s synthetic." The merchant was about to argue when Luke leaned in with an unamused expression on his face. "Tell me, where can I find the real fabrics?"

"I don't know what you're-" Luke's eyes narrowed as his pupils turned into thin slits. "-Ah!?"

"You _really_ don't want to lie to me."

Guy watched the display quietly only to groan under his breath. This was not how he wanted to spend the rest of the day. "Luke, let's just go. He's trying to cheat us and I don't feel like putting up a fight about it." Guy was physically tired from all of the flight practice and emotionally spent from the realization of how much time had passed. This was the nail in the coffin at the moment, especially since he had wanted to keep a low profile. "Let's just get to the inn." He needed some human luxuries like a warm bath and a comfortable bed after all of this dragon stuff today. He didn't regret what he was now, far from it, but it was a little draining.

Luke was about to argue with Guy when he saw that tired, depressed look in his eyes and he stopped. He sighed heavily, dropping his shoulders a little as he nodded to him. "Alright, we do what you want at your pace. We have time," he grasped his hands, giving a gentle squeeze as he tried to give a reassuring smile. He then looked over his shoulder and shot the merchant a dirty glare, but turned away and walked off, leading Guy away from the stalls and back into the marketplace.

He outright ignored the curry shop and headed straight for the inn, paying for a room for the both of them which he then took Guy into and closed the door. The sounds of the street could still be heard through the window, but it was much quieter here than anywhere else in this city. "There's a cafe on the bottom floor of this inn so we can get food later," Luke explained, looking at his mate with worry. "Are you okay...? Talk to me," he said softly, biting his lower lip.

"This is just... A lot for one day," Guy said with a tone that dripped of fatigue and exhaustion as he moved to sit on the bed. He leaned forward, combing his hands through his hair before he dropped them down to his lap. "When I normally wake up, the weather's changed or maybe there's some big political thing going on but this time... Everything is different. It's more to take in than I could have realized no matter how much explaining you'd have done." Guy lifted his gaze to look up to him. "Don't get me wrong, I'm so excited to be a dragon and spend our lives together but it's... A really big leap for someone who only thought he'd live for less time than we'd been asleep."

Luke gave him a weak smile and wandered over to the edge of the bed, taking a seat next to him and rested his hands in his lap. "Yeah it's... I wish there was something more that I could do for you. I don't like seeing you in pain, I don't like knowing that you're unhappy. But this, this is something that only you can work through on your own. Part of it will be leaving your human mentality behind as you accept your new identity, and I can't even begin to imagine just what that will be like. Just... whatever you want, or need. If you want me to stay here with you and just hold you or something, I will. If you need some time alone, I'll go."

Guy genuinely smiled at Luke as he spoke, though the action was just as tired as he'd seemed back in the bazaar. He could never had been happier to have anyone else."You might not be able to help me but _you_ help me." He reached out for Luke's hand to cradle together between his own which he brought up to his lips to kiss softly. "You being here reminds me I'm not as alone as I keep feeling." He felt out of place, somewhat lost, and he felt alone but he wasn't and he had to keep telling himself that. Luke would go nowhere. If there was one thing eternal in this situation, it was Luke.

He released Luke's hand then and flopped backward, folding his arms behind his head to help make himself at least somewhat comfortable in the moment. "You know what'll help? Tell me some things we'll be able to do together." Remind him of what good this life would offer him beyond the heartbreak and genuine stress of enduring so much change time and time again.

"So much, like..." he trailed off, forming a list in his head, "go to the beach and soak up all the warm sun we want, travel to every single city and see what each one has to offer with food, alcohol, art, and treasure," he grinned, scooting closer to Guy and bringing a hand up to cup his cheek. "We can go visit Tear, she'll be around for the next nine thousand years. We can explore every single corner of this world and fly as high as the skies will allow. Hell, if you want to go to Sylvana to go skiing I'll suck it up and go for you," he laughed weakly, leaning down to place a soft kiss onto his lips.

"We can also mate," he whispered into Guy's ear as he settled down onto the bed next to him. "Maybe one day... who knows, we might find some eggs or the gods will create another one like me and we could start a family... Wouldn't that be something?" he chuckled a little at the thought, a bunch of small whelps scampering around his cave, digging through his treasure piles. “I'm just trying to give some ideas, there's so many things for us to do out there."

Guy was grateful that Luke instantly fell into humoring his request and went through a rather large amount of options for things they could do with their upcoming years. It really was nice to know they had such a chance for variety and could possibly do everything that the world had to offer before they finally met their end. Not to mention knowing the one friend that they had left would be around for quite some time was comforting. They wouldn't sleep through all of her life. Guy couldn't handle doing that to the only one whom they still had.

"A family, huh?" Guy asked. He rolled over a little so that he could gaze at Luke. "Thank you," he murmured and pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth. "This can't fix it for me, but it definitely helps, Luke."

A small smile came to Luke's face and he returned the kiss, giving Guy's hands a gentle squeeze as he scooted closer to him. "I'm glad... I really don't like seeing you so upset. I- we can come back here for the curry at any time, but right now, I think you would benefit from talking to Tear the most." It was one thing to have Luke there, but it was another to have someone else from their brigade, someone else to establish a sense of normality in all of this nonsense and be able to reassure Guy in ways that Luke couldn't. "So, let's just sleep for the night, and then tomorrow we head for Yulia city, okay?"

"Let's not waste the trip here," Guy said as he gazed at Luke. "We still need dinner, so why don't we go get that curry? Besides, a distraction'll be nice. After that we can come back here, wash up, and get some sleep. We can worry about clothes when we get to Yulia city." Tear would help them with that to some degree, he was sure.

"Only if you're actually up for it, I don't want to push you-" but Guy gave him a firm nod, and Luke nodded in turn. "Alright. Let's go get us some of that delicious curry!" he said excitedly, kicking himself up and off the bed, very eager to go now that Guy had given him the okay.


	2. Extra Spicy Mabo Curry, Take Two

It was a relatively short walk from the city’s inn. The day was drawing to a close, and while the streets may still have been packed, the crowds were beginning to thin out as traders finished their business deals in the markets. The two dragons had to bob and weave between the pedestrians blocking their path, but it was no matter- Guy was grateful for the distraction, and Luke was dead set on his beloved prize.

When they arrived at the tavern that sold their curry, what should have been celebration in their arrival instead turned sour. Luke was appalled, nay, scandalized at the large wooden plaque that had been put up on the outer wall for all to see. There were two depictions scrawled out, of both himself and Guy, along with the words 'do not serve' etched underneath. Luke stared at the sign in disbelief, his mouth agape, as he struggled to form words to convey his dismay beyond guttural noises.

“What the hell?!” Luke finally settled on several moments later as he stamped his foot on the ground repeatedly. “One screw up, _one_ screw up two hundred years ago and this is what we get!?”

“Luke…” Guy stepped in behind him with a small sigh but the redhead shook his head.

“No, I’m serious! Yes we might have accidentally destroyed this place-”

“We?” Guy asked with raised brows.

“-but that doesn’t discredit the fact that we saved the damned world! A bloody thank you would be nice, let alone a plate of my favorite curry!”

“Be that as it may,” Guy said as he pulled on Luke’s hand in an attempt to get him to calm down- he was starting to cause a scene, “that doesn’t change the fact that you, in a glorious moment of drunken stupidity, threatened the barkeep and destroyed this entire tavern.”

“We were _both_ drunk,” Luke pouted.

“Yes, but you were the only dragon at the time,” Guy snickered a little bit. “Come on, there’s dozens of other places in this city that sell curry. I’m certain we can find another that you’d like-”

“But I don’t _want_ other curry!” Luke outright whined, “I want my favorite! Extra spicy mabo curry!”

This was now starting to grate on Guy’s nerves, and he sighed sharply, withdrawing his hands from Luke’s. This was no different than how Luke was acting back at the bazar earlier, and he didn’t have the energy to put up with it. “Luke, you’re acting like a spoiled brat. We can’t always get what we want, and you’re drawing too much attention to us.” he glanced around, seeing a few people on the street looking their way with intrusive, curious gazes. Guy shifted a bit uncomfortably at that, bring a hand up to scratch at the back of his head.

Luke recognized that nervous tick and immediately regretted his actions. Right- this wasn’t about him and what he wanted; Guy was still feeling wrong and displaced after such a long sleep. And here he was, acting selfish and impulsively... He reined himself in and bowed his head a little. “You’re right,” he chewed on the inside of his cheek, “you’re right. I’m sorry… I’m sure there’s other good curry establishments around that I haven’t tried yet. Surely one of them will suffice.”

Guy gave Luke a small, appreciative smile. “Thanks. So, any recommendations?”

As the two of them deliberated over where they should go next and what to try, one of the tavern’s employees saw the both of them standing right next to the plaque. She stood there and stared for a moment, her eyes darting back and forth from the duo to the sign before she gasped loudly and ran back into the tavern. Moments later, seemingly every single staff member within the tavern came pouring out to surround the both of them, questions and exclamations firing off wildly into the air.

"Oh my gods, that sign has been up there forever and it actually _meant_ something?!"  
"So that old man's story was really true?"  
"Are you really a dragon!?"  
“I heard you breathed fire and destroyed everything!”

"Get away from me-!" Luke yelped, backing up into Guy. “This is so not what I pictured when we set out for curry!” he lowly growled, causing a few of the excited employees to back away a bit.

“Are you here to exact your revenge and take our limbs?” one asked, and Luke looked outright horrified at such a question.

“What-? No! Where on Auldrant did you even get _that_ idea?” he asked as he crossed his arms.

"But we heard that you took the cook’s whole leg before! And had then had the audacity to sear it closed with fire!" someone shouted from the back and Luke looked over to Guy for some sort of help. 

Guy was so kind as to clarify the truth to these people. "...The last time we were here, we got drunk, he transformed, broke some of the furniture, and made a few vocal threats. That's it."

"Like we'd trust a liar who cheated the old owner out of all of his money!" a man chided.

"What are you even _talking_ about?" Guy asked.

Oh, fantastic. This old scenario again... Luke rolled his eyes as he realized what exactly had happened over the last two centuries. Rem, people really loved to gossip and exaggerate tales, didn’t they? 

"Tell me," Luke started as he quirked his brow at them, “were _any_ of you actually present that day?" They shook their heads. "Then I don’t want to hear anything from you."

"But you were drunk!" someone accused.

"Yeah, and for good reason," Luke muttered under his breath as he placed his hands on his hips. "Look, the stupid sign says we’re not allowed to be served anymore so whatever, we’re leaving."

"And how do we know you're not going to destroy this place out of spite for banning you?" someone from the back asked again. Guy sighed and shook his head before gesturing toward Luke.

"If he wanted this place destroyed, don't you think he'd just do it? If you've heard all these _grand_ stories about what he's done then you'll know he's a dragon more than capable of burning this places to cinders," Guy retorted and the employee bristled as though it were a threat. "We're really just here for some curry because it's his favorite, that’s all. But since the sign’s up, we’re leaving, we don’t wish to cause any more of a disturbance than there already is.”

There was a moment of deliberation and whispers amongst the staff before a tavern wench stepped forwards. “You really like our curry that much?”

“Ever since it was first made over a thousand years ago, despite the constant recipe changes,” Luke huffed in annoyance. 

Another moment of deliberation and whispers amongst the staff. "Mm, well, so long as you don't touch a lick of booze, you can get your curry and go… The ban is… it’s more of a tradition, at this point."

Luke blinked. “Wait, really? We can have some curry?”

“Yes, if you have the coin for it.” the wench said and Luke immediately dove into his coin purse to pull out the appropriate amount.

“I’m certain the currency has changed again while we were asleep, but this is about how much two plates cost,” he said as he handed it to the wench, who eyed the coins curiously.

“This is…! This is old Kimlascan gald…!” she gasped, looking at all the coins in her hands. “Do you have any idea how much one coin is worth now? Most of the currency was melted down and reminted for Malkuth-Lanvaldear!”

“Malkuth-Lanvaldear…?” Guy asked.

“Peony and Meryl got married,” Luke reminded him, “that must be the name they chose for their merged empire. Given by your reaction,” he directed his attention back to the wench and held his hand out, “I take it I overpaid.”

“Ah- yes. Here,” she handed him back all the coins save for one, “we’ll go get your curry and your change. Please wait right here.” And with that, the tavern’s staff shuffled back into the building one at a time. 

"And make sure it's extra spicy!" Luke called out, hoping that they at least heard him.

As they were left alone, Guy scratched at his hair and hummed for a moment. "Not that I approve of tall tales, but I kind of want to hear what the story turned into, don't you?”

"Not in the slightest." Luke shook his head. Cheating an owner out of all their gald, taking the leg from a cook and searing the wound shut with fire… the nerve of some people. It left a much too bitter taste in Luke’s mouth. It might have been in good fun over the years for people to boast, but tales like that were how the sport of dragon hunting rose into the mainstream by painting them as mindless brutes. He cringed at such a thought… so many died during that dark time in history.

Thankfully, it wasn't too long before the staff returned with a paper bag full of curry for the two of them. Guy took hold of the bag while Luke dealt with the change, as there was a lot of it. Most of the change were paper bills instead of coins, which was a bit confusing at first, but went right back into the coin purse regardless. Of the few coins that were given, Luke caught a glimpse of one and paused, gasping. "Oh my gods-! Guy look!" he held the coin up for Guy to see, "It's Meryl!"

“What?” Guy asked, shifting the bag into the crook of his arm so he could get a better look. “You’re right, that is Meryl!”

"Hm?” the wench asked. “Oh, yeah, Empress Meryl Malkuth-Lanvaldear I. She was quite popular.”

"We um-... could you tell us some things about when she ruled? We're old friends that didn't get the chance to be there for it," Guy asked a bit sheepishly and the wench raised her brows.

"Old friends?" she asked with a skeptical glance only to realize that... if they really were the dragon and his companion from the time just before she became empress, they were telling the truth. That was a humbling thought.

"If you don't mind, please…?" Guy asked a little more desperately than he would have liked. 

The girl crossed her arms as she sighed, relenting. "You'd be better off getting information from books but... She was a great empress. She worked with the elves to establish peace which wasn't easy at first, given the war. But her husband was just as charismatic as her, so they were able to get their people to give it a shot."

"And what of Peony?" Guy asked.

"He was no worse than the empress, but he died of illness about fifteen years after the marriage, leaving everything to her."

"Fifteen years-?!" Luke nearly stuttered, looking almost depressed to hear that. Fifteen years... He and Meryl only had fifteen years together before he- … But, they had really cared about one another! Luke's shoulders slumped a little; gods, humans were just so _fragile_.

"Yes, it was very tragic and everyone mourned his loss. They did have three children before he passed: two strong boys and an equally strong girl. Empress Meryl's great, great, great, great grand child is currently on the throne and, in my opinion, is doing a pretty good job. There hasn't been a war since the scuffle with the elves, race relations are better than ever, trade is booming, our economy is strong-"

"What about the Divine, Ion? Could you tell me what happened to him?" Luke asked curiously.

"Hm... from what I can remember, I think he stayed the Divine for a few more years after the end of the elven war, and then he stepped down for the next Divine to take his place. I don’t know much more beyond that."

"I see. Do you know anything about his bodyguard, Anise?" The wench shook her head. "What can you tell me about the elven princess then?"

"Princess Mystearica? She's so... it's hard to find the right words to describe her! I've never seen her personally beyond the paintings, but she’s so pretty!" 

Luke weakly laughed. "That is true, she is quite beautiful. We were planning on going to visit her after we got our curry."

"Oh, you're so lucky! I'd love to meet the elven princess, but it's just so much travel to get to Yulia City, and even then it's not like you can just _get_ an audience with the princess."

“You can if you’re a dragon,” Luke grinned a bit cheekily and Guy scoffed. “Thank you for your time, we’ll take our leave now.”

The two of them backtracked to return to the inn for the night, the sun having set and the city now awash in darkness countered by torches and candles. Luke took hold of Guy’s free hand and gripped it tightly, hoping that discussing their friends like that hadn’t done any harm to him. He stole a glance at him from the corner of his eye, trying to gauge his mood, when Guy was so kind as to answer his query for him.

“I’d like to go to Grand Chokmah and meet this current ruler,” he said rather cheerily. “It’ll be interesting to see how Meryl and Peony’s bloodline evolved over the years. There must be so much history.”

"You sure you want that?" Luke asked Guy with a small bit of worry, but his mate seemed impassioned by the idea. "Well, if it's what you really want-"

“We don’t have to go immediately,” Guy said, easing some of Luke’s worry. “Just, eventually. I’d like to meet them and learn more about the lives that our friends led while we were away. Anyways,” he changed the subject as he looked down at the bag of curry in his arms, “I swear to Rem, Luke, if this curry is as hot as it was the last time-”

"If you still can't handle this curry even though you're now a ten ton fire breathing reptile like I am, we are getting a divorce," Luke replied with a hint of snark.

“Oh ha, ha.” Guy retorted with a sarcastic laugh. “The joke is on you though because Kimlascan divorce procedure indicates that I’d get fifty percent of your hoard.”

“Alright firstly,” Luke started up, “Kimlascan law doesn’t apply-”

“We mated in Baticul; it applies,” Guy countered.

“Secondly,” Luke went on to say, “you’re still thinking like a human. Dragons don’t actually have a proper divorce procedure like humans do. When a mateship is dissolved it usually involves a battle to the death with a winner takes all system since dragons are, for the most part, too prideful to give up anything they own. And since you’re still technically a whelpling, I strongly outclass you. You’d be foolish to ever try and leave me.”

“Technically I did that one time…” Guy muttered under his breath, and boy remembering _that_ lovely mistake of his was embarrassing. “Is this supposed to make me feel better?” Guy asked and Luke laughed, patting him on the arm.

“It just means you’re stuck with me whether you like it or not. But seriously, if you really can’t handle that curry, I will tease you relentlessly, so prepare yourself for that.”

“I suppose that’s better than the alternative,” Guy conceded with a small sigh, finding that there was a smile on his face. For the moment, he was happy. He found none of those negative thoughts from earlier in his mind, given that he was far too caught up in their antics to care. This was what his immortality was for, to spend an eternity with someone he loved like no else. He glanced down to the ring on his finger, and then over the one on Luke’s, and felt joy blossom in his chest. As they stopped briefly to let a cart pass in front of them, Guy leaned in to place a quick kiss to Luke's temple. "I love you." he contently smiled.

Luke's cheeks flushed slightly and he chuckled warmly. "I love you too. Now, come on, the curry's getting cold."


	3. Reunions

_Lorelei Decan, Undineday 21 N.D. 2245_

It was midmorning by the time the two of them had set off to continue their travels, the sun already high overhead and beating down on the desert city mercilessly. Heat seeped into the crowded streets, and while Luke certainly wasn’t affected, Guy was already beginning to work up a good sweat. Perhaps they’d could go a little out of their way to reach the oasis where they could stock up on water? Truthfully it was so hot the idea of just swimming around in the oasis sounded much better, though he knew the natives would not be happy about that in the slightest. That was their drinking water, after all.

“I don’t get how Noelle was capable of living in this desert for so long, the heat is killing me,” Guy wiped off his brow as the two of them continued to squeeze their way through Chesedonia’s streets.

“You acclimate to your environment over time,” Luke replied simply, turning a corner that would lead them out of the marketplace towards the edge of the city. He opened his mouth to speak when something in one of the last vendor stalls caught the corner of his eye, causing him to come to an abrupt halt.

Guy ended up walking into him. “Ah-! Sorry, Luke,” he quickly apologized. “Uh… Luke? What’s wrong?”

“No way…” Luke muttered under his breath as he quickly made a dash for the stall.

“Luke?” Guy called out confusedly, having no real choice but to follow after him to see what the fuss was about.

Luke was standing before the stall with his gaze fixated on three large, round and smooth stones that sit behind some of the merchant’s usual wares. He looked shocked, and Guy couldn’t figure out just what was so intriguing about these rocks. They were rocks. There was nothing interesting about rocks, ever.

“Greetings, gentlemen, what can I help you with this fine day?” the merchant asked with an easy smile and Luke pointed to the stones.

“Where the hell did you get these from?” he asked with a serious tone, causing Guy to furrow his brows.

“Those?” the merchant hummed for a moment. “Mm, I think they were part of a trade for a shipment of rare spices that my partner oversaw. Don’t really know why they’re considered valuable- they look more like oversized paperweights to me.”

“I want them. Now.” Luke demanded.

“What? Luke!” Guy almost scolded him. Why the hell did they need to bring _rocks_ along with them? “We don’t need to lug around any extra weight, besides we were heading for Yulia City?”

“Those are petrified dragon eggs and _I want them, now_.” Luke’s tone shifted to something far more menacing and terrifying as he glared the merchant down.

“Wait, what?!” Guy sputtered. Those things were _dragon eggs_?! Well, no wonder Luke was being so adamant about it.

The merchant laughed uneasily at Luke’s claim. "That’s just absurd, the last of the dragons died out centuries ago after the war. Even if these really are dragon eggs, you think I'd just give these away to you? I had to trade some very rare spices, so if you want them-"

Luke growled lowly, his pupils changing to slits as he bared his fangs. “You have no right to claim our young,” he hissed.

The merchant took several steps back, looking alarmed at the creature before him. “T-Take them!” he gasped, and Luke did so. He loaded them up into his arms and walked off, leaving Guy to quickly apologize to the man (going so far as to leave some coin behind for the trouble) before pursuing after his mate.

“Okay, what the hell, Luke?” Guy asked as he finally caught up with him. “Are those really…? I mean, what do you want with them? What do we _do_ with them. You said they’re petrified, right?”

Luke nodded his head. “They've been petrified thanks to neglect, but I know how to break them out of that through a little magic and some rather extreme heat. It'd take about three months, but I’m certain I could do it." He paused to look at Guy only to find the man giving him a rather incredulous look. "Hey, dragon numbers have been dwindling for thousands of years thanks to people like your ancestors. You have no idea just how _rare_ intact dragon eggs are- these three _need_ to hatch.”

“You… want to revive them?” Guy asked for clarification. “Uh… I don’t know, Luke… I’m still trying to adjust to my new body and learn about myself.” He rubbed at the back of his neck, feeling even more sweat than before.

“I’m not saying we have to hatch them right this instant. Just, eventually. These have been petrified for a few thousand years at least. They can stay that way for a bit longer until you're comfortable enough in your new body and with the idea. I know we never really talked about something like this because we'd never be able to have eggs of our own since we're both male, but," he looked back at the eggs in his arms, "the gods are funny, sometimes."

“I… I think I’d be fine with it, further in the future. I guess I just want to know that I’d be able to help take care of them and not put so much of a burden on you. You already do all of the hunting, and I still can’t fly very well yet-”

“You’re still learning,” Luke said with a reassuring smile. “And hatching doesn’t mean we’d have to take them in as our own. You’d be quite surprised to know just how tenacious whelps can be. Asch and I survived well enough.”

That got a confused look from Guy. “Wait, you two raised yourselves…?”

“We had to.” Luke shrugged. “Lorelei made us; we had no parents, and other dragons really hated godlings like us. We only had each other to rely on. There were some close calls though- when you’re young your hide is quite soft so it was easy for other dragons to attack us.”

Guy blinked. “Wait- is that how you got those scars on your backs?” Luke nodded slowly. Right, he could remember them saying back in Keterburg that there were reasons why they had hated blue dragons so vehemently. “I’m sorry...”

“It’s in the past. Anyways, think you can find a satchel or something large enough to carry these? My arms are starting to hurt.”

“Ah, right.”

\----

Guy had been able to procure a decently sized satchel from the marketplace to nestle the eggs within safely, and from there it was a simple task of leaving Chesedonia to fly to Yulia City. Guy pouted just a bit over having to ride on Luke’s back again for the trip, wanting, more than anything, to be able to fly with Luke side by side, but he knew this was for the best. Besides, he had been tasked with keeping watch over their precious cargo now as they traveled, and while the idea of having eggs in their possession was still weird to him, he took his task quite seriously.

It was a good three hours before Yulia city was finally in sight, even with favorable winds at their backs. From the looks of it, the city looked relatively unchanged, save for some new buildings along the outer walls. As they drew closer, Luke started his descent, and took to landing just outside of the city as to not incite any panic.

Luke waited patiently for Guy to get off of his back before he shapeshifted to his elven form, taking a moment to stretch out his arms and shoulders. "Ah, it's so good to be back! I really missed this place," he said happily.

“You really love that elf form, don’t you?” Guy teased with a smile.

“That I do.” Luke smirked.

The city guards, and a few dozen citizens, came flying out from the city and quickly mobbed them. Questions and exclamations flew at them with impressive speeds, and Guy stepped back, allowing Luke to handle it considering he was the one gifted in linguistics. He was caught by surprise seeing that one of the guards was human. An actual human, dressed within the elven armor and royal crest. He couldn’t help but to smile at that- there really was hope between the races now if the elves welcomed humans among their ranks!

Luke had asked the guards to escort them to the palace and they set off, walking into the city with some of the citizens trailing along behind them. Others simply stood off to the side and looked on in awe as their revered guests passed them by. 

Guy glanced around with wonder, still finding Yulia City to be as breathtaking as the first time he saw it. “I quite like this place. Arguably one of the most beautiful cities in the world.”

“Oh, without question,” Luke laughed a little bit. “Then again I’ve always had a slight bias for elves and their culture so I might not be the best judge for such a decision. Although Grand Chokmah was not without its points. Their use of aqueducts was simply-”

“LUKE!” Tear’s eager voice hit his elven ears with a vengeance as she shouted from the far side of the road. The princess took off in a dead run and _threw_ herself at him in a tight hug, nearly tackling him onto the ground. “Oh, Luke! It’s so good to see you again!”

“Whoa-! Easy- easy there, Tear,” Luke grunted, trying to maintain his footing. “And here I thought we had to come to you.”

“As soon as the servants mentioned seeing a dragon flying overhead I came running as fast as I could!” Tear said as she released him from her embrace before turning her sights to Guy. “Hello to you as well, Gailardia. Would it be alright to hug you? I remember you overcame your phobia but I just wanted to make sure you were okay with it first.”

Guy blinked, and stared, taking in the familiar form of their friend that was... alive. Alive and well and _happy_. She was laughing, smiling, and greeting them with the warmth he feared they'd lost forever in their centuries long slumber. _Tear was still alive_ and standing before them. His knees nearly gave out on him as the relief overwhelmed him.

Without even speaking he opened up his arms and pulled her in for a tight hug, drawing in desperately needed comfort from her familiarity. "It's really great to see you..." he murmured quietly with a shaky voice into her hair.

“Of course.” She gently patted his back, and allowed him to hold her for as long as he deemed it necessary. 

After a few moments, he released her and wiped at his eyes. “Sorry,” he sniffled. “I’m okay.

“How long have the two of you been up?” she asked curiously.

"A few days. We made a stop in Chesedonia for food, but we came straight here afterwards," Guy explained as he straightened himself out, smiling more easily now that Tear was present. She had _lived_ through all that time they were gone and she held no displeasure toward them. Maybe those they lost weren't upset with them, either…

"I'm glad that your first thought was to think of visiting me, it really does mean a lot," Tear said, closing her eyes while she smoothed her dress out a bit. "I'm actually rather glad that you've both come, the timing couldn't be better."

"What do you mean by that?" Luke quirked a brow at her.

"Well... I think it would be best for you to see for yourself. Please, follow.” she gestured for them to come with.

Tear escorted the two of them through the city, bringing them straight to the royal palace. As they walked the halls, Luke remembered that this was the direction to reach the guest chambers. So, someone important had to be visiting right now, then? Perhaps the current Empress of Malkuth was here? He couldn’t imagine for what reason, though...

They arrived at one of the spare bedrooms and Tear knocked on the door. “Pardon the intrusion,” she said aloud, opening the door.

Luke went wide eyed.

“A-Asch…?!” his voice broke. The man in question looked up from the book he was reading and then stood from the desk he was sitting at. "I-I don't understand- how are you…? I thought after what happened I’d _lost you_ permanently…!”

“I’m not sure what really happened myself... I remember being held captive and then after that it’s just this blur…” Asch replied as he set the book down and stepped forwards. “I awoke in the temple here a few days ago… Has it really been two hundred years?”

“Cherna had you and Sync under her control; you were like mindless puppets we had to fight against…” Guy said darkly and Asch stared at him for a moment.

“Who’s Cherna..? And you shouldn’t… what _happened_ to you?” he asked in bewilderment. “You were human- I remember you being human, why _aren’t_ you human?”

“Asch, calm down.” Luke reached out and grabbed hold of his arm. “We’ll explain everything. There’s… a lot that you missed out on.”

“Apparently so…” Asch murmured.

\----

Asch exhaled slowly, trying to allow the events relayed to him sink into his mind. He knew that it was all true- there were some echoes of memories in his mind that somewhat matched those descriptions- perhaps some of this was from Lorelei’s perspective, but still… He had been enslaved to a death goddess for months and worked with her to plague the world. And he… he had been the one to kill Ginji and his sister.

“I’m sorry, Ginji…” he whispered quietly to himself as he wrung his hands together anxiously.

“Asch, that wasn’t your fault.” Luke tried to assure him but Asch shook his head.

“It is. I was too weak and let myself fall victim to that perverse magic. I let myself be used-”

“So did I, Asch. I fell to it also- I damn near killed Guy. It was just too strong, there was no way we would have been able to withstand it.”

“I should have been stronger-”

“Asch, stop,” Guy said sternly. “What happened, happened, and there’s nothing we can do to change it. I am sorry that we lost Ginji, Noelle, and Sync, but we did the best we could given the circumstances. I know that you and Ginji were close.”

Asch bowed his head. “Can… can we talk about something else?”

“Of course.” Guy nodded. “Oh! I know,” he brought the satchel around and opened it up, showing the eggs to Tear and to Asch. “Luke made quite the find in Chesedonia earlier.”

Tear’s eyes widened. “Are those… Are those what I think they are?!” she gasped, moving in closer to get a better look at them. “They are…! I can’t believe it! And you found them in Chesedonia!? This is magnificent…! And not one but _three_! Truly we are blessed this day!”

“You two found dragon eggs…” Asch said in disbelief. Of course they did, why _wouldn’t_ they find _three_ of some of the rarest things on Auldrant? “What are you planning on doing with them?”

“Hatch them,” Luke answered and Tear’s eyes lit up.

“You’re going to hatch them!? How wonderful!”

“Not for a few centuries at the very least- maybe not for a millenia. Guy’s still learning about himself. He doesn’t know how to fly very far yet, or what his school of magic is.”

Asch snorted. “You’ve been a dragon for two hundred years and you don’t know how to fly yet?”

Guy ended up bristling at the comment. “I can fly! Just… not very well. Besides, we spent most of that time asleep. Not counting the time in hibernation I’ve only been a dragon for a week and a half. Cut me some slack, it’s a lot to adjust to.”

Asch thankfully conceded on that point. He was not without reason and understanding, even if his patience was short. “I see… Have you at least given magic a try?”

“No, not yet. Actually part of the reason we came here is because I was hoping to ask Tear for help with that. Luke’s magic is completely fire based so he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to teach me at all.”

"I believe I could,” Tear spoke, “though it will be a lot of work given that you were a human with no grasp of magic whatsoever..." Hopefully Guy knew just how much he would have to do. This was going to be a lot of work.

"I've been getting better with shifting forms, which isn't much, but it's a start." he beamed and Tear chuckled.

“That is a good start. I'd imagine shifting forms requires you to focus on the mana within you?" she looked at the two redheads who nodded in unison. "I'm sure I can work with that. You're an earth dragon but that's no guarantee that your school of magic will fall under that. Jade held power over illusion, after all. Luke's is destruction."

"As is mine," Asch held a hand out and summoned a flame. "Ginji had restoration, Noelle had alteration."

"Mm," she nodded. "So for you... it might take some time to figure out what your talents are. But I am more than willing to work with you personally to help you realize what they are." 

"Thank you so much, Tear. I hope we're not pulling you away from your duties," Luke said and she shook her head, waving her hand dismissively.

"Nonsense, I've been looking for something new to do. This has been a very long era of peace. The most I've had to do these past two centuries was officiate the treaties between elves and humans. Beyond that, everything's been okay."

“I’m so glad to hear that,” Guy breathed a sigh of relief.

"We'll start work on your lessons tomorrow," Tear said. "However for now, I'm sure you're both hungry and tired after traveling here, so why don't we sit down for a nice meal, hm?"

"You have no idea how good that sounds,” Guy said, feeling hunger gnawing at his abdomen. It had been hours since breakfast, and he imagined that Luke was even hungrier considering that he was the one who did all the flying.

As Tear and Guy exited the guest room, talking amongst themselves over what the menu would be, Luke turned to Asch and threw his arms around him tightly. “I’m so sorry... We couldn’t save you and I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t apologize,” Asch brought his arms around and smoothed his brother’s hair back. “I know you did your best. I’m so proud of you for everything you’ve done. I know none of it was any easy on you.”

“I love you, Asch.” Luke squeezed his eyes shut tightly to stem the flow of oncoming tears. “I’m so glad you’re back…!”

“Me too.” Asch weakly laughed as he let go of his brother. “Now come on, they’re going to leave us behind if we don’t hurry up.”

“Right.” Luke rubbed at his eyes and smiled. “Right. Let’s go.”


	4. First Lesson

“So,” Tear spoke as she and Guy walked down the long hallways of the palace together, “how much have you learned about being a dragon so far? I mean I know we somewhat touched on the topic already but I’m quite curious for specifics.”

Guy carded a hand through his hair. “Not nearly enough. There wasn’t exactly much time to learn anything before going to sleep, and we haven’t been awake for all that long, either. Luke did teach me a bit about how to fly, but I don’t exactly have much in terms of wing muscle. I get tired very easily from it.”

“You’ll build up the strength for it, I’m certain,” Tear hummed, pulling a left, instead of the usual right, to lead him into one of the indoor gardens. There was a table and some chairs set up already, with some of the palace’s servants standing by. “I thought this might be a nice change of pace compared to the dining hall.”

“It’s lovely,” Guy said as he took a seat and made himself a bit more comfortable. “I’ve found that flowers make me feel… happier for some reason as of late. Like, I’m more prone to notice them.”

“Well you _are_ an earth dragon now.” Tear took her own seat across from him. “You’re connected to nature in ways you weren’t before. It’s no surprise you’ve started to pick up on the nature surrounding you.” She paused, and quickly glanced around the area for a moment, noticing a particular lack of redheads within the vicinity. “Where did our favorite twins get off to, now?” she wondered aloud.

“They're likely catching up. It's been... a long time since they've had the chance to simply be together,” Guy mused. One of the servants came by and poured him a cup of herbal tea, which he graciously accepted and sipped on. Much like the extra spicy curry in Chesedonia, he was surprised to find the hot temperature of the tea not bother him in the slightest. This was going to take a while to get used to.

Ten or so minutes passed by, and the redheads finally walked into the garden, Luke apologizing for keeping them waiting as the twins then took their seats at the table. “We got a little turned around looking for you. We didn’t realize you had headed off to the gardens.”

“It’s quite alright,” Tear said as she set her teacup down, “we figured you two might have needed a little more time. Guy and I were just idly chatting about a few things. We were saving our real topic of conversation for when you arrived.”

“Oh?” Luke tilted his head to the side. 

“Yes,” Tear nodded, “I have many stories to tell of the things you all missed over the years. Though," she paused for a moment, casting a conjuration spell. A large, thick, leather bound book appeared on the table before her which she grabbed and handed off to Luke, "I think it's better if they tell you."

“Is this…?” Luke felt his stomach twist into knots when he realized what this was exactly... A bittersweet smile came to his face as his fingers brushed over the cover.

“Aren’t you going to open it?” Tear asked and Luke shook his head.

“No, Guy should get to read it first.” Luke quickly passed the book off to his mate, much to Guy’s confusion.

“What is this…?” Guy asked warily, looking between both Luke and Tear. Hesitantly, he reached out and opened it up to the first page. It looked like a handwritten letter, the script quite elegant and written in a deep red ink that seemed to sparkle under the right light. As he started to read the first line, the words began to glow softly until the light engulfed the page completely. An image flickered from it- a vision, and it looked remarkably like a certain empress he once knew. “Is that… Meryl?” he gasped.

 _”Dear Luke and Guy… No, that sounds far too formal,”_ the image of Meryl moved as it spoke, the depiction of the empress shaking her head, _”I think I've been spending too much time writing official letters and documents, and I can't shake it even now. It's been a year since you two left to go to your cave and you can't imagine how much things have changed already! Not without effort though, let me tell you. My husband and I have been hard at work trying to reconcile the human people with the elvish after that disaster caused by Van, and we're finally making good progress. There were a few nobles that resisted the peace talks but they were put in their place with a charming smile and some harsh words. Luke, you would be proud.”_

Guy was entranced and silent, listening to the familiar voice as he watched the apparition above the pages recant the words written. His chest started to feel heavy and constricted, and his eyes began to tear up. _It was Meryl._

_“Tear suggested that we make this a yearly thing, write letters to you both for a 'special gift' she plans to give you. I'll likely write you letters more often since once a year doesn't seem like enough. I hope you two are sleeping well, and I hope you enjoy whatever Tear's present for you is. I miss you both dearly.”_

Guy let out a soft breath as the magic dissipated into an almost glittery snowfall before the light vanished all together. He leaned back a little into his seat, wiping away tears that trailed down his cheeks. "Thank you, Tear..." he said quietly.

"I figured you both might appreciate it..." she said quietly, allowing Guy a few moments to collect himself. It really was sad, watching him come to terms with the price of immortality.

"We do, we really do," Guy said as he closed his eyes and exhaled slowly. He hadn't realized just how badly he had missed Meryl's voice, feeling her presence along with everyone else's, hearing her witty banter with Peony and Jade and Anise… He opened his eyes and glanced a the book- it was a good foot thick, and each page was its own letter, its own message from any one of their friends from a different point in their lives. A completely new story that would unfold to them over time.

"I'm so glad," Tear breathed a small sigh of relief, picking up her teacup to take a sip. "It was... difficult watching them age so rapidly. I'd been living amongst fellow elves my whole life up until that point. It's so sad to me that humans are so short lived..."

"Barely any time to really get out there and see the world." Luke agreed.

"Humans have always been like this, though," Asch said as he crossed his arms. "Even when they were fully connected to magic in the past, the longest they could extend their lives was by an extra century. It's not a patch on you elves; a ten thousand year lifespan is absurd."

“You have no room to talk considering ten thousand years is still technically your _childhood_ ,” Tear pointed out.

“I would have welcomed an extra century," Luke said a little gloomily, looking back to the book. "But, our friends lived their lives to the fullest, and now they're living new lives as new people. Such is the nature of reincarnation."

"A luxury we elves lack." Tear set her cup back down and folded her hands into her lap. "It's ironic that in the end humans do end with eternal life, even if they don't recall it."

"Elves aren't subjected to the laws of reincarnation?" Asch asked with a furrowed brow and Tear shook her head.

"Our bodies dissipate into mana and we become part of the world's natural cycle- save for Yulia. I did some research on that after Cherna's confession. The miasma in that sword of hers corrupted Yulia and kept that from happening. It was only through dragon fire that she could be released, hence the tomb."

"That sword did nothing but cause trouble." Guy frowned at the mention of the blade. He still shuddered at the mere thought of it, recoiling in disgust that such a taint had been passed down through his bloodline for countless generations.

“That is what it was made for,” Luke snorted, taking a moment to look at his left palm. Luckily no traces of that hideous scar remained, but he could still feel that phantom pain from time to time, and remember just how uncomfortable it was to be bound to human form. 

They fell into a few moments of quiet as the servants started to bring out their food. Platters of meat were set down before the three dragons, which Luke hungrily dug into without much thought for manners (and earned a rightful whack to the back of his head from Asch for misbehaving in polite company).

"So, what about you, Tear? What have you been doing as of late?" Guy asked in between mouthfuls.

"Besides the human-elf relations? I've been doing a lot of study into the history that led to everything we faced. As I said before, the Jewel of Gardios, Yulia’s hidden history with Lorelei, your… ‘special’ bloodline... If I hadn't heard it straight from Cherna's mouth, it may be hard to believe everything wasn't simply a myth. It sounds like a tale to tell children... well, parts at least. A fair amount is... disturbing in ways."

"I can imagine." Guy dryly laughed.

"I also helped Ion greatly with establishing the New Order of Lorelei. It's actually quite popular now, especially amongst heavily integrated cities."

“A new order?" Luke questioned and Tear nodded.

"Yes! After the collapse of Daath, Ion and Anise set out to rebuild and reestablish the Order- but this time with the correct history, the full wisdom of Yulia's teachings, and the proper depiction of the various Gods. It has been very popular with both humans and elves. In fact, New Daath is often viewed as a holy, neutral ground for all races to come together and pray."

"New Daath, huh?" Asch asked with a slight snort, grabbing a piece of meat off the plate to chew on. "Let me guess, without the volcano?" 

Tear's face fell a little bit. "Er- yes... There was no way for us to create something like that, even with magic. I'm really sorry that you lost your home, Asch," Tear apologized and the older twin exhaled sharply, chewing on his piece of meat with a bored expression on his face.

"Well, time to find new territory I suppose..." he muttered.

"Nonsense, I have the entire region of Deo! Do you know how many caves are in those mountains?" Luke asked with a scoff. "Besides, we're not being held apart by duty anymore, I want my brother back, dammit." 

Asch briefly smirked at that. "You might want to check in with your newest cave dweller first." he pointed to Guy. "After all it's not just _your_ territory anymore, is it?" 

Luke blinked, and he turned to Guy, suddenly feeling guilty for overlooking that little detail. "Oh gods- I'm sorry. It's your territory too and I forgot to ask-"

"It's fine, Luke,” Guy assured him. “He's your brother. I would have been more surprised if you didn't offer him a place to stay."

Tear basked in the chatter and smiled to herself. "Oh, I've missed this…” she murmured, making a grab for her teacup once more. “Before the three of you go off making arrangements, please, feel free to spend as much time as you'd like here."

"I'm not planning on going anywhere, especially if you're going to help me get a grasp on my magic," Guy said as he looked over to Tear, then back to Luke. "If you end up wanting to go or anything, you can. I'm not going to ask you to stay here while I'm trying to figure out what magic I'm good at." Though he'd prefer the company, Guy was reasonable and knew this might take some time. Staying in Yulia City for that long could get pretty boring.

"Go?" Luke asked before he went into thought for a moment. "I don't really have anywhere to go beyond Grand Chokmah, but we were going to visit there together-"

"Were you planning on seeing Meryl and Peony's great, great, great grandchildren?" Tear asked.

"Yeah. When we were getting curry over in Chesedonia one of the waitresses talked about it. Guy said he really wanted to go and meet them."

"The current empress is a very... it's hard to find adequate words to describe her. She's much like Meryl in a lot of ways, but very much her own person as well, to the point where working with her can be hard at times. If you'd like, I could send tell that the two of you would like to meet with her," Tear offered.

"Yes, that would be wonderful." Luke nodded.

"Excellent. Dragons or no, Empress Marybelle does not entertain guests who arrive unannounced." Tear took another sip of her tea.

"Hey Tear,” Guy spoke up, “after this, do you think we could-"

"Yes, Guy, we can start working on teaching you magic after we eat." She found it so amusing how eager he was. She turned her sights to the twins, "You're both welcome to come and watch or assist, but for now, it will be bare basics so it's doubtful it will be all that interesting for you."

"No worse than watching me try to fly," Guy muttered.

"It's fun trying to watch you fly-" Luke started to say but Asch reached out and placed his hand on to Luke's shoulder. "Alright, alright. It _has_ been a long time since Asch and I really got the chance to do something together," he looked over at his brother and gave him a cheeky grin, which Asch reciprocated. That seemed to startle Tear a little. Asch smiling... a sight she'd never thought she'd see.

"I've only been back for a couple days, I haven't gotten the chance to really do anything as of yet," Asch said as he withdrew his hand to go for another good looking piece of meat off the plate.

"The two of you will have plenty of time to explore and play. Magic takes a long time to study- and for Guy..." Tear glanced over towards him, "Well, I can't say how long this’ll last.”

The meal went by rather quickly, Guy finishing first after practically scarfing all his food down. Chalking it up to his excitement to finally getting to dabble in the art of magic, Guy waited somewhat impatiently for Tear to finish her own meal. He twiddled his fingers, tapped his feet on the ground, and gazed around every which way until finally, she was done.

"Ready whenever you are, Tear!" he said excitedly.

"Let's hope your enthusiasm keeps. We'll have dinner just after sunset so if you two would like to join us, you're welcome," she explained to the reds before standing, Guy standing up as well. "First you and I must head to the library so that I can give you some instruction on very basic concepts of magic to build a foundation."

"Have fun!" Luke called out as Tear whisked Guy off, leaving him and Asch alone. 

Asch was watching Guy for those last few moments until he disappeared from view, then turned to Luke with a raised brow. "I really don't understand what you see in him."

"Asch, do not start with-"

"No, I'm being genuine here. I really don't understand why you chose him." Luke paused for a moment, eyeing him skeptically. "Don't give me that look- if we're to be sharing the same territory without incident, I figured it would be a good thing to understand _why_ the hell you two are so into each other." Luke started to snicker. "W-what?"

"You're so boorish, even when you try to care." Asch flushed a bit at this and whacked Luke on the shoulder.

"S-shut up!"

"Come on, we can worry about that later. Let's go explore the city!"

\----

The library was a beautiful masterpiece and Guy almost wanted to hold off on studying simply to wander about this place. Beautiful large archways with intricate patterns placed on the flats, sculptures, art... How had he never come here before? Truly, this put the libraries back in Grand Chokmah to shame! 

No, magic. 

He was here for magic and not to appreciate the architecture of this magnificent place… Still, it was so hard _not_ to stare.

"These," Tear said as she placed three rather large tomes and one small leatherbound notebook on one of the tables, “are going to be the most helpful in understanding the various schools of magic. The larger books were written by elvish scholars through a study that lasted about... seven hundred years or so. It's one of the most in depth views of magic, mana, and all elements involved in effectively using magic." She plucked up the small notebook and offered it out to Guy. "But this is the personal recollection of one of the first magical manifestations in humans since the joining of the lands. I believe it may help you to understand what magic feels like given you both came from not having it at all.”

Guy was beaming as he stared down at the pages with some sketched diagrams and mostly written word. "Humans learned how to use magic?"

"Yes. With the acceptance of the gods and the flood of mana that they now were able to draw from, magic was inevitable. It seems some bloodlines are picking it up slower than others but magic has become quite a norm. Now, let's get started so you can join them."

\----

Luke and Asch wandered out of the elven palace into the heart of Yulia city, simply looking around at what was new with very little aim on where to go. Luke stepped back and allowed Asch to make the choices of where to go, knowing that his brother liked to be in charge upon occasion, and followed along behind him closely as to not lose him in the crowds. The streets of Yulia city were fairly crowded, more so than they had been two hundred years ago, but it was far less congested than Chesedonia had been. There was a steady stream of humans sprinkled into the mix this time, which Luke silently adored seeing humans being so openly welcomed here.

"What is that-?" Asch asked, breaking Luke from his thoughts. The other redhead looked up and saw a large building- a new building that definitely hadn't been there prior- decorated in very... lavish and interesting ways. Luke eyed it for a moment, not quite sure what to make of it.

"I have no clue," he admitted, when a nearby elf had overheard the two of them.

"That's a museum for art and history. It has quite a few lovely displays that show our proud elven lineage," she said, beating a hand to her chest. "There's currently a display about the joining of lands from 200 years ago."

"Oh this I have to see," Luke said, waving the elf off as he grabbed Asch's wrist and pulled him into the building.

\----

Tear recited a large amount of information from the books seemingly non stop for what felt like an eternity. Not to mention the tomes themselves were dry beyond compare and often could put one to sleep, even when genuinely interested. The information was fascinating to be certain, but was written in an uninteresting way that sometimes struggled to convey what it wanted to clearly.

It was well over an hour of those theories until Tear decided Guy had enough of a basic grasp of the concepts to begin trying out spells. "The easiest, in this case, would be to start with alteration," she said as she led Guy through the halls again to an area in which they could properly train without fear of destroying anything of value. "I'm going to attempt to teach you how to summon light from your hand that you can use to illuminate your path." She held her hand out, a bright light flashing from her palm.

"That doesn't look too complicated." Guy held out his own hand and tried to concentrate.

"One wrong use of the mana and you could potentially combust your hand."

"What!?" Guy gasped loudly and pulled his hands in close to him.

"I'm joking, Guy, you looked too serious," Tear snickered at Guy’s expense, causing him to frown rather deeply.

"... Well, I don't want to screw this up,” he huffed and Tear quickly apologized.

"It's your first time. Please, don't worry so much. Both Luke and I have faith you'll grasp magic fairly well."

Guy held out his hand again and began to concentrate on the mana pulled from both himself and the world around him. He focused all of this power in the form of the spell, though nothing manifested. 

It was about half an hour before he had managed it, though it wasn't nearly as bright as Tear's had been, and the instant he lost focus it was gone. Still, it was a start and within the hour, Guy had his own personal light. It wasn't the most complex spell, but it was good to get him to feel the magic and focus it.

Much like an excited child, he couldn't wait to show Luke whenever they had all finished with their days.

\----

Luke and Asch wandered throughout this museum idly for quite some time. The building itself was pretty dim on the inside, the various displays and exhibits lit up through... it wasn't a lantern, it was a piece of mana crystal heated through the use of Efreet-channeled mana (quite ingenious the two dragons had to agree). So many different images depicting their exploits to lower the outerlands safely hung on the museum’s walls, it was enough to have the both of them stop and debate over which pieces were the most accurate, and which were the most abstract. 

They wandered the halls, stopping at a collection of drawings that had been given their own, centered display. Unlike the other pieces however, these were all stunning portraits of everyone who had been within their group. The twins, Guy, Tear, Meryl, Jade, Anise, Ion, Peony, and hell, even Mieu.

"These are beautiful..." Luke said in awe as he approached the display, looking at his own portrait.

"The likenesses are impressive," Asch nodded, "Who did these?"

"...Emperor Peony?!" Luke blinked as he read the placard. "I thought he was right handed. And that he lost that hand."

"He likely taught himself how to paint with his left in order to do these, in which case, that is mighty impressive." 

Luke looked a little ways to the left and saw a large leather tome on display. He wandered over to it and took a peak at the page that it was open to. A regaling of their adventures, as written by Peony. 

"He managed all of this in just fifteen years." Luke laughed weakly. "He really made sure to go out with a bang, didn't he?"

"You alright?" Asch asked and Luke rubbed at an eye.

"Yeah. Just feeling nostalgic all of a sudden. They left behind a wonderful legacy."

Asch gave Luke a few moments before he stepped over and gently placed his hand on his shoulder. "Let's go," he said softly. It was getting late, and even though they hadn't done all that much, he could tell Luke was feeling pretty worn out all of a sudden.


	5. Rising Tensions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahaha, hi, it's been a while. I'd like to sincerely apologize for such a long wait, but for a number of reasons, life really got in the way for both myself and my co-author and we had to put this on the back burner. It wasn't until recently that she had come back to this project and I was able to start adapting it again. I wish I could say that I could go back to my swift pace of publishing a chapter every week or so but that just isn't the case. Updates will be sporadic, but they will happen.
> 
> -Pencils

_Rem Decan, Lunaday 15 N.D. 2245_

Tear paced about the palace’s hallways with a quickened step. Worry etched into her face as she wrung her hands together, trying to slow her rapid breaths and heartbeat. _It wasn’t a big deal_ , she tried to convince herself, _it was just a minor incident and an isolated one at that, but still…_ She came to a stop before a floor length window and glanced out of it, looking out at the populace below. These people were counting on her… There had to be a just and fair solution to-

“-Tear?”

The princess jumped at the voice and she turned, seeing Asch standing a little ways away with a furrowed brow. “Asch!” She breathed as she placed a hand to her chest. “You startled me…”

“It’s not like you to be jumpy,” he observed as he stepped closer, “or worried, for that matter. What’s wrong?”

She turned her gaze back to the window. “There was an… incident along the border. Three humans were killed.”

Asch raised a brow. “So? People kill each other all the damn time.” 

How so like a dragon to reply. Tear bit back the urge to be sarcastic in turn.

“The Malkuth-Lanvaldear guards are claiming elves killed them in a racially motivated attack. I can’t imagine why- after two centuries of peace why _now_ of all times-”

“In my experience,” Asch spoke as he stepped beside her, looking down at the populace himself, “mortals do stupid things for stupid reasons. Trying to understand their motives is a waste of time.”

“Well their stupid reasons has the Empress breathing down my neck.” Tear sighed uncomfortably. “I should stop worrying so much, Empress Marybelle is a reasonable woman who is passionate for her people and country. I’ve dealt with far worse than politics before.”

“Exactly.” Asch nodded his head. “Focus your energy on the important things.”

“An international incident _is_ important, Asch.” Tear gave him a disapproving look while he rolled his eyes. 

“Whatever. It’s probably a one time thing,” he dismissed her with a shake of his head. “People fight, lie, cheat, and steal. It’s what they do. Chalking it up to a racial thing is the guards’ easiest explanation. Do you know who the people killed were?”

“Personally, no.”

“That wasn’t what I was asking.” Asch looked less than amused.

“They weren’t anyone of importance, no. By the looks of the reports they were merely farm hands on their way back to their land. I want to send some scouts to explore the area and look for clues- there may be traces of magic left behind and that could be crucial in pinpointing the culprits, but the Empress is not too keen on the idea.”

“I see. That is an issue.” He crossed his arms and shifted his weight from foot to foot. “This is all speculation on the guards’ part, right? The fact the empress is responding this strongly to rumor alone is troublesome.”

“Travel and trade could be severely restricted as a result of this, and I don’t want that. Everything was so peaceful and perfect-“

“There’s your problem, princess,” Asch looked over towards her, “peace is an illusion; nothing is ever perfect. There may have been troubles simmering and this was a catalyst to launch them into the forefront.”

“Rem, I hope not…” Tear wrung her hands together again for a moment before pausing. “…Asch, would you be willing to do me a favor?”

Asch eyed her for a moment. “Depends on what it is.”

“You’re not tied to racial politics like I and my people are. Could you please go and investigate the scene for me? I just- I need to be sure, and I can’t bring this to Luke or Guy. This would only worry them and knowing Luke-“

“-I know. I know exactly how he gets.” Asch exhaled sharply. He loved his brother but he could be such a fool. “I’m telling you it’s a waste of time. But, I owe you for everything you did two hundred years ago…”

Relief flooded Tear’s face and the tension in her body vanished. She took hold of his hands and gave them a tight squeeze. “Bless you, Asch. You have my thanks.”

“I’m not promising anything, though.” He pulled his hands free of hers. “I doubt I’ll find anything useful. I still strongly believe this is just a random happening over something petty.”

“Perhaps so, but even if it’s the case, having you look into it helps.”

He hesitated for a moment, wondering if there was anything else that needed to be said. After deciding no, there wasn’t, he bowed his head to her before turning to leave. The sooner he set off, the sooner he could reach the border and confirm his suspicions: this was pointless.

_Rem Decan, Loreleiday 33 N.D. 2245_

Four more incidents occurred over the past few weeks and Tear had him look into each one of them. It was tedious, but it kept the princess from going out of her mind with worry and it kept his brother and Guy from getting involved, which was important. Still, despite the fact he found the whole thing to be tedious, he couldn’t help but to start worrying a little. The number of dead humans was increasing with each incident, and while there were no patterns in attacks, soldiers and possible witnesses always claimed it was elves facilitating it.

Just what was going on here…?

Tired of standing around thinking about this matter, he opted to go for a walk about the palace to try and clear his head. Guards stood at their posts while servants scurried to and fro to complete their assigned tasks for the day- nothing even remotely out of the ordinary. Everything was just a routine at this point… Things had been exciting at first when they had all come together but now it fell to: waking up, Guy and Luke would launch into magical lessons and then spend the rest of the day together.

He knew his brother was head over heels for this man- dragon- but he hadn’t expected to feel like such a third wheel. Luke was his family first, dammit. Speaking of, he was certain right about now his brother was sitting in on Guy’s magic lesson and trying to coach him into finding his talent.

To his surprise, that wasn’t the case. He rounded a corner and heard a voice he hadn’t heard in centuries, and he quickly went in pursuit of it.

_’Heya!’_ Anise’s voice sounded off in one of the palace’s inner gardens. Luke was perched on one of the benches that overlooked the flowers while clutching the enchanted book, staring at the visage of his long-dead friend. _‘Things are already like, super boring without you two around, let me tell you. A lot of stuff is going on with the rebuilding of Daath to reestablish the Order. Ion and I are determined to make this Order better than it ever had been! He also wants to incorporate Yulia into our teachings finally, as well as our own personal experiences with the gods. I really wish the two of you didn't have to leave... It feels like we were all finally starting to get along. When you wake up, you better come visit New Daath, or else I'll make it a personal mission to haunt you until you do!’_

“What are you doing?” Asch asked.

Luke startled and nearly dropped the book as he glanced up to see his brother standing in the archway. “Don’t scare me like that!” He was half tempted to throw the book at him. “What? What do you want?”

“Someone’s irritated.” Asch stepped into the garden and took a seat next to him. “I thought you were with Guy today.”

Luke pouted a bit. “He wanted to practice alone.”

“Miss your friends?” Asch pointed to the book.

“Of course,” Luke said somewhat defensively as he closed the book, the image and voice of Anise snuffing out, resulting in an unsettling silence that left Luke feeling empty inside. His expression fell a bit, “I realized that while focusing so much on Guy and his progression with magic, I’d neglected this gift… They worked so hard on it, y’know? And I just let it sit on the shelf and gather dust…”

“Attachment to mortals is messy,” Asch said a bit callously before pausing, taking note of the pain on his brother’s face. That was the wrong thing to say. “…I was with your group for a short time, but they seemed like good people.”

“They were.” Luke nodded, taking in a stuttered breath. “They absolutely were.”

A long moment of silence hung over them as Asch contemplated what to do from there. He was never very good at relationships or consoling, even when it came to his family. Tentatively he reached out and draped his arm across his brother’s shoulders, pulling him in. “You’ve got me and Guy. And Tear will be around for a few thousand years still.”

“Yeah… yeah.” Luke nodded his head. “Thanks, Asch. I’m- I’m so glad you’re here.”

He opened the book again and turned to the third page, the words shimmering as an apparition of Ion flickered to life above the page.

_'Hello Luke, Guy. Gosh, it's so... different to write to the two of you instead of outright speaking. Things have settled down quite nicely in the last few months, though Anise and I have been as busy as ever with the reconstruction of the Order. It's been tough and slow going, but we've had monumental support from both nations. They are all very eager to bring the Order back, and make sure that it's done right. The Emperor has been telling everyone about our experiences with the gods, and as such, the people are quite excited to learn more about them. We knew very little at first, but now... we just have so much new knowledge to impart, and for that I am eternally grateful to you, Luke, for giving us the opportunity to learn.’_

Luke's cheeks flushed a little at that compliment while Asch nudged him with his elbow playfully.

_'I hope that whenever you do wake up, you'll see the efforts of all our hard work. And Guy, truly, congratulations on your ascension. Take care, the both of you. Ion.’_

The two brothers stayed there to reminisce a while longer.

_Rem Decan, Remday 35 N.D. 2245_

Tear slumped into her throne, her eyes glazed over as she stared off at nothing in particular while her mouth hung open. Her mind could not process the horror the city guards had just relayed to her: _twenty three_ elves within the city, slaughtered in the cover of night and left in the streets to rot. The pile of bodies all had their throats slit and ears cut off, the severed flesh pinned to the nearest wall while the message ‘the knife ears deserve to die' was scrawled out in dried blood.

How…? How was this possible? How did no one see or hear so many innocent people being butchered and left in the open? Why was this even happening?! Gods, she wanted to weep for her poor people.

“Your highness,” a guard spoke, snapping her out of her daze. She looked to the armored man with wide and watery eyes. “Your highness, what should we do about this?”

Right… right, she didn’t have the luxury to sit here and mourn. She had to set an example and get to the bottom of this, once and for all. She forced herself to sit upright and put on a stern face. “Increase the patrols, lock down the city. Let no one near the site of the crime.”

“Yes, your highness!”

“Do whatever it takes to find whoever is responsible and bring them in alive.”

The guards saluted and ran out of the throne room in lockstep, leaving Tear sitting on the throne alone as the weight of everything came crashing down onto her. There was no way to keep this from reaching Luke and Guy now; this was simply too big to keep contained. And worse, this would implicate all the humans within Yulia City’s walls. All of them would be suspected and treated like criminals until they could find the true culprits, and that would further damage the already strained race relations. 

She glanced upwards to the doorway and saw Asch come in. “Asch… to what do I owe the pleasure?” she asked tiredly.

“I heard the commotion from the other side of the palace- you look terrible. What the hell happened?” Tear was quick to relay the gory details of the case and Asch lost a bit a color in his face. “You can't be serious…”

“I know humans and elves have a dark and bloody past together but… but we had put it all behind us. We moved on…”

“Evidently not.” He rested his hands on his hips. “…Fuck.”

“My sentiments exactly,” Tear murmured as she rested her head in her hands. “I don’t know what to do, Asch… I want to walk the path of peace with humanity but all the evidence is pointing at them. The Empress is not responding to my letters, skirmishes along the border are multiplying- it’s becoming chaos and there’s nothing that I can do about it.”

Asch paused for several long moments as he mulled his thoughts over. “…I searched through those other incidents, I found nothing-“

“I’m not blaming you, Asch.”

“Clearly I _missed_ something, Tear.” Asch threw his hands up into the air as if to emphasize his point. “I mean- what was it that happened all those years ago between Kimlasca and Malkuth?”

“If I remember correctly, a group of bandits known as the Dark Wings orchestrated the entire war by framing Malkuth in the princess’ kidnapping and murder.” It then dawned on Tear. “…You don’t think someone’s orchestrating this, do you?”

“I mean, it’s _possible._ If that’s the case then whomever’s doing this has clearly done their studying because they’ve eclipsed all visible ties. Thinking back on all the sites I’ve seen, I still can’t recall anything of merit.”

“Well, maybe this will prove different.” There was a note of hope in her tone as she stood from her throne. “Elves are beings of mana like dragons, just to a much lesser extent. Even after our deaths you can tap into that. You might be able to learn about our assailants through this method.”

“…I can do that,” Asch nodded before turning to the doorway. “I’ll do that.”

“-Do what?” Guy asked as he entered the throne room in search of Tear for their next magic lesson.

Asch cursed under his breath. Of course he’d show up now. Asch excused himself as fast as possible and headed off to the city below before he had to explain things, leaving that task up to the princess. 

Time was precious now and it could not be wasted.


	6. Feigned Diplomacy

Guy woke up early that morning, his eyes fluttering open on their own to reveal the picturesque sight of his sleeping mate curled up next to him, adrift in dreams. Guy wasn’t sure just why he was awake so early, but he figured he could capitalize on the extra time by getting some more practice in before his lesson would start. Tear had been hounding him on conjuration spells as of late ever since he discovered he could conjure up small balls of light. The fact he could conjure up anything at all was somewhat of a miracle at this point, but the princess wanted to take it further and was trying to get him to summon _weapons_ of all things… Sometimes he wondered if Tear was grossly overestimating his capabilities at magic. Her leaps in logic left him exasperated at times.

Turning his attention back to his immediate surroundings, he leaned over and kissed Luke on the cheek, taking a moment to simply be and to run his fingers through his long, silken locks. His lover stirred for a brief moment at the contact but promptly slipped back to sleep, causing Guy to chuckle dryly. Luke certainly loved to slumber. 

Carefully, Guy maneuvered out of bed and wandered over to the washroom where he spent a fair chunk of time freshening up. After getting dressed, it was a jaunt to the kitchens for a bite to eat, then off to the conservatory where he had ample room to practice his magic without disturbance. When it came time for his proper lesson to begin, Guy made his way over to the throne room just in time to catch the absolute tail end of the conversation between Tear and Asch.

“-Do what?” Guy asked with a quirked brow as he walked in.

Asch ignored him- strode right past him which Guy had to force himself not to take as a personal affront. Months later and he still could not get along with his mate’s older brother…

Tear’s expression betrayed her. She tried to put up a facade for Guy’s sake, to remain strong despite the mess dumped in her lap, but she lacked the energy to fully commit. Her shoulders sagged and her ears drooped as she informed Guy of everything, every little gritty detail, that had been taking place the past several weeks. There was no sense in trying to lie to him now.

Guy felt physically ill when she finished, his stomach feeling like it would turn. “…And this has been going on for how long now?”

“Guy-“

“You never thought to tell me about this?” He shook his head in disbelief. This entire time he’d been lounging around in the palace, studying magic, there have been brutal killings and worsening tensions between the races. “Tear, this is almost exactly like how the war between Kimlasca and Malkuth started two hundred years ago. I was there for it- I have military experience! For Sylph’s sake, we were _both there_ when your brother declared war on humanity and fought together! I was in _both_ battles for Grand Chokmah and Baticul! You didn’t think to consult with me _at all_ about this?”

“You have been through more than enough!” Tear snapped back at him with more anger in her tone than intended. She realized her mistake and eased her demeanor, but maintained her stance on the issue fervently. “You and Luke have been through more than enough. I didn’t want to drag either of you back into my people’s problems-“

“Tear!” Guy hissed and the princess winced, “This is more than just a ‘problem’ now. From what you’ve told me about the Empress’ mounting hostility and pressure, things are dire. We have to diffuse the situation directly if we want to avoid the ramifications. You’re almost certainly looking at war at this rate.”

“Guy…” Tear breathed out, her eyes stinging with the threat of tears, “Asch is already looking into it- you don’t have to get involved.”

“I… appreciate that you were trying to look out for myself, and for Luke, but I’m not some little kid that needs to be sheltered.” There was a heavy silence that fell over them for a brief moment before Guy turned towards the doorway. “Luke and I will head for Grand Chokmah and try to talk the Empress down while Asch does what he can here. The Empress has to know that you do not condone these attacks nor wish for violence.”

“This doesn’t feel right, Guy.” Tear shook her head as she reached out and grabbed hold of his arm in a vain attempt to stop him. “Please, don’t leave! I can’t explain it, but…”

“Tear,” he pulled his arm free, “what other course of option is there? Sit by and let these attacks escalate? Allow another war to start? You saw first hand the atrocities your brother’s forces committed against humanity- Baticul _fell_ and took thousands of lives with it. I’m not siding with the Empress by any means, but I understand her jump to violence. In her view its preemptive in order to protect her people.”

“I can’t… I can’t order you and Luke to stay, can I?” Tear asked in a tone of defeat.

Before Guy could answer her somewhat rhetorical question, an explosion sounded off in the distance, followed by agonizing screams and the ground quaking below them. The palace’s grand windows shattered and shards of glass rained down from overhead as smoke, and the scent of burnt flesh, billowed into the throne room.

“S-stay here, Tear!” Guy yelled as he ran out of the throne room while the queensguard raced in to protect their princess.

——

Luke screamed awake from the explosion, flashing back to being woken by the gongs in Grand Chokmah during the first major attack in the elven war. His heart raced as a damp chill clung to his body, his clammy hands gripping the sheets tightly. He hadn’t been asleep for months again, right? 

What was happening?! 

_Where was Guy…?!_

The disoriented dragon shambled towards the edge of the bed and fell out onto the marble floors with a thud, the shock of cold stone sending shivers up his spine. It took several moments to reorient himself and get a grip- panicking like this would leave him exposed and vulnerable to attack. He had to stay on guard and figure this out- but dammit, it was hard to concentrate when his heart nearly beat out of his chest and _he couldn’t see straight!_

“Luke!” Guy’s voice entered the room and Luke’s panic began to subside.

He turned to face Guy, trying not to let his fear show through. “Tell me I didn’t sleep for months this time.”

“You didn’t,” Guy reassured him as he reached out and took hold of Luke’s hands, giving them a firm squeeze, “I’ll explain everything on the way. Let’s go!”

——

Asch held his breath, waving the thick clouds of smoke away from his face as he tried to see through them. Every which way, people were running away from the site of the explosion, their screams of terror filling the air and drowning out all other noise. He took a couple steps forwards, tripping over upturned cobble stone and he cursed loudly, damning this thick veil of smoke. In a moment of frustration he transformed, using his wings to forcibly beat the smoke away from the smoldering remains of what looked like a suicide bombing. With the air now clear, Asch changed back and got a good look of the wreckage, seeing broken buildings, pieces of bodies, far too much blood for his tastes, and traces of self destruction magic.

Being extra careful, he stepped towards the center of the smoldering crater, hoping to trace back any mana he could find in order to get a clearer picture of what happened when, for a split second, he saw purple. Asch’s senses prickled as he picked up a disturbance in the flow of the city’s mana, and he turned, seeing his brother and Guy running towards him.

“-Asch!” Luke called before abruptly stopping, looking on at the destruction with wide eyes. “…Tell me you didn’t do this.”

“Of course not!” Asch was tempted to throw a rock at him for asking such a stupid question. “If I used self destruction magic this entire city would be a crater!”

“Are you alright?” Guy asked as he glanced around. “What happened?”

“I don’t know,” Asch answered with frustration, pushing his bangs out of his face. “I was examining the murder site when the explosion went off. I only just got here myself.”

“If attacks are happening here then is it possible Grand Chokmah is in danger?” Luke looked to Guy.

“Grand Chokmah?” Asch furrowed his brows. “What does that have to do with this?”

“Repeat of the Elven war,” Guy supplied as he rested his hands on his hips, “I think someone is trying to make it happen, and a large scale attack like this directly after the mass murders is solidifying my theory. If they’re trying to start something up, then the major cities are going to be their targets. It’s the fastest way to escalate everything.”

“We need to talk with the Empress.” Luke nodded.

“Go then,” Asch urged. “I’ll stay here and work with the city guard.”

“Asch, are you sure?” Luke asked, his worry for his sibling showing transparently. It was justified though, considering all that had happened in the past. The last thing he wanted was for it all to happen again. 

Asch picked up on Luke’s discomfort and reached out, squeezing his upper arm as a confident, almost cocky smirk came to his face. “I’m sure. I can handle some errant magic. If needed I can always pull what you did for Baticul and Grand Chokmah-“ he said casually but that earned him a frown from his twin.

“No calling on Lorelei’s power, it tends to come with nasty side effects.” Those migraines were one thing but going blind was absolutely another.

Asch rolled his eyes. “No mana means no magic can be cast. No magic means no more bombs. Just get out of here already and get to Grand Chokmah. The Empress needs to know what’s going on.”

“Alright. Be safe,” Luke said as he moved in to embrace him.

“I will,” Asch hugged him in turn, “and don’t worry about the eggs, Tear put them away for safe keeping.”

“Good, I’d hate for anything to happen to them.” Luke let go of his brother and took a step back, directing his gaze over to Guy. “Let’s go.” 

“Right.”

They weren’t traveling via hyperesonnance this time- it would take hours to reach Grand Chokmah with dragon wings alone.

Luke transformed swiftly, lowering himself down so that Guy could climb up on his back. Guy might have been a dragon now with some flight experience, but he was still too unskilled to fly that far a distance in a short amount of time. As Guy settled and braced for take off, Luke held feelings of anxiety and apprehension. Leaving in the middle of such a dangerous situation was risky… Too many things went wrong the last time.

Luckily for the two of them, the winds were unusually in their favor once they had set off, which Luke attributed to Sylph’s influence. If the gods were trying to help them, then perhaps their theory was right on the nose… That was really disconcerting.

——

They arrived at the outskirts of Grand Chokmah near sunset- the city having expanded quite a bit over the last two centuries. Luke didn’t want to waste time trekking through the city so he chose to land the two of them in the large open expanse before the palace, much to the alarm of all the guards and some nobles who promptly fled the area.

Many guards and soldiers poured out of the palace and surrounded them with their weapons drawn, but Luke was quick to change shape, confusing them quite a bit- until they recognized him, and Guy, from the late Emperor’s works.

“We need to speak with the Empress immediately,” Luke demanded as he approached a guard wearing a captain’s tabard.

“W-we…” the man stuttered, still in shock over what he just witnessed, “W-we apologize, but her imperial Majesty is very strict in regards to whom she has an audience with.”

Guy exhaled sharply in annoyance. “We aren't normal visitors, and what we have to tell her is dire." 

The last thing the guards wanted was the wrath of not one but two legendary heroes, who were dragons, no less, but still, the Empress’ wrath was equally legendary… "We're sorry, but policy is policy. If you want to meet with her then you-" the captain started to argue, but Guy huffed and stepped a little closer. 

"If we don't speak with her immediately, then there's a good chance a lot of people are going to die. You think we should withhold that for policy?” Guy frowned. He watched as the guard calculated all his options silently only to nod his head.

“C-Come with me." The captain and a few other guards began to escort the dragons toward the palace while Guy fell into stride beside Luke. The Palace was still beautiful and glistening like a jewel, but the brief wave of nostalgia was cut short when Guy forced himself to remember why they were here. 

The two were led through the palace straight to the throne room.

"Your Majesty!" The captain called upon opening the door. An older man who stood before the throne turned with a slight scowl in the guard's direction, but the woman seated upon the throne behind him merely stared.

"I believe I said that I am not to be interrupted during this meeting with the merchant's guild," she called out in a harsh, commanding tone, only then glancing to the men in tow. "If you seek an audience with me then speak with my steward-"

"Please, your Majesty, this is urge-" Guy called as he stepped forward only for her face to come clearly into view. Soft features and strong eyes, blonde hair... The man stopped dead in his tracks. 

For a few moments, Guy struggled to wrap his mind around what he was seeing. The same eyes, the same lips, he imagined she would have the same smile if she dared to do so… When her gaze scanned over him and his partner, Guy felt unsettled by the lack of warmth in her gaze.

_Why did the empress look exactly like his sister?_

Guy’s abrupt stop caused Luke to double take, and the expression on his mate’s face spoke volumes. “Guy-“ he started, reaching out to continue pulling him forward, but the Empress’ patience was wearing very thin.

“Urgent or not, it is a message that can still be relayed to my steward. I am very busy so,” she snapped her fingers and a few guards stationed within the throne room started to walk towards them, “they shall see you out and you can wait for an appointment, you impatient fools.”

Luke growled lowly. They didn’t have time for this. Considering the sheer size of the throne room, Luke had no qualms shifting over to his draconic form as a show of force just to speed things along. The guards staggered back in alarm like those from outside, their cries echoing off the walls. The Empress merely raised her brows.

“Well, this is certainly interesting,” she spoke as she crossed her arms. “You’re the one that traveled with my ancestors, no? The both of you. Yes, I recognize you from the paintings. Fascinating… Truthfully I always found that tale to be a bit grandiose; certainly it was much too fantastic for it to be all real-“

“With all due respect, your majesty,” Luke spoke as he shifted forms again, “shut up.”

“Excuse you?” she looked bewildered.

“Yulia City is currently under attack,” Luke clarified. “There was a series of murders, bombings. We think there may be some group trying to incite violence against the races. If it’s happening there, then it’s very likely to start happening here.”

“There’s been a… tentative peace with Yulia City ever since the elven war ended, and within Grand Chokmah’s walls, we have the elves under control. An attack here would be absurd.”

“ _What_ ” Guy asked with a hint of disgust in his voice. A ‘tentative peace?’ ’Under control?’ What the hell did that even mean?

“Your majesty,” one of the Empress’ advisors spoke up, “perhaps we should close off the elven portion of the city, just to be safe. I highly doubt a dragon would come all this way just to lie to you.”

“The ‘elven’ part of the city?” it was Luke’s turn to raise a brow.

“Yes, there is a small portion of the city designated for elven citizens to live in. When the war was over, the elves faced…prejudice, so they clustered together; safety in numbers and whatnot. That portion of the city became theirs.”

“You might cause more unrest if you suddenly wall them off for no good reason,” Luke argued.

“No good reason?” The Empress parroted back at him, “You were there and saw what they did to Baticul first hand, were you not?” That got Luke to cringe as he recalled the entire city collapsing on itself, having barely made it out of there in time. “If there’s trouble brewing I will not be risking the safety of my city and my people.”

“The elves within the city are your-“ Guy started but the Empress cut him off.

“No. They’re not. My first priority is to protect my people- humans, and it is Princess Mystearica’s job to protect her people- elves. And it seems she is doing a poor job of it if bombings are happening. I won’t be making that mistake. Close off the elven portion of the city. I want armed guards standing by to quell any unrest.”

“Yes, your majesty!” a couple of the guards saluted before running out of the throne room.

“Armed guards to quell any unrest?!” Luke gasped. “You’ll be the damn one responsible for inciting fear amidst the races here! This is not what Meryl and Peony worked so bloody hard for-“

“They’re dead,” she stated coldly. “No offense to you and your past deeds, I greatly respect the service you have given, but I’m the one in charge now and I will do whatever it takes to protect _my people._ ”

“Your people?” Guy repeated incredulously.

“Yes, my people. I believe I’ve made that abundantly clear. The elves that reside in that quarter—“

“Have been living there longer than you and most of your people have been alive,” Guy snapped with a firm tone, trying his hardest not to just outright scowl at the Empress.

“As have the buildings. As have the trees. Are they too my citizens simply because they have been here longer than I?” The way in which she spoke sounded so condescending that even Guy felt an urge to shift forms to assert his point. Sadly it was clear bullying this woman would get them nowhere.

“You think they’re like property?” Guy scoffed before shaking his head, his jaw tight for a moment before he could stop himself from speaking. “Mary would be disgusted to know you have her face and not even a fraction of her compassion!”

“Guy-“ Luke turned to him out of concern.

“Let’s go,” Guy cut him off curtly, “If we head out now, we can try and explain to some of the elves what’s happening and maybe prevent any sort of resistance.” It wasn’t much in the grand scheme of things, but they could at least try and make this easier. There was no point in waiting here to seek an audience with a woman so cold as to turn her back on people in her charge simply because they weren’t of her own kind.

Still, to see that face speak such cruel and heartless words left Guy with a knot in his stomach. This was not something he ever wished to associate with Mary’s memory…

“Right,” Luke said with a nod, turning with Guy to leave when the Empress growled almost indignantly. These two barged their way into her throne room ignoring her strict rules, argued with her, and now were just going to walk out without so much another word?! Her face contorted into anger. The merchant tried to appease her as fast as he could.

“Your majesty, please! They are unimportant. Why don’t we go back to our discussion regarding the tariff policy.”

The Empress sighed and retook her seat on the throne. “Yes, yes. Get on with it.”

“Of course.” the merchant bowed to her.

——

Once they were out of the throne room, Luke took hold of Guy’s hand. “You alright?” he asked quietly as they made their way out of the palace and back into the city. “It’s not like you to freeze up like that.”

"You told be before that my family was already back in the cycle of reincarnation... I just didn't expect to see my sister here,” he spoke quietly. "Mary would hate this..." Guy murmured more to himself than to his partner. Still, Mary was long gone. With a slow and deep inhale, Guy focused on what was more important than his emotional discomfort. "We can talk about this later. We should get to the elven section and make sure to keep everyone calm while they get put in lockdown." Which wouldn't be hard to find given the amount of guards that were making their way in one uniform direction. 

Briefly, Guy brought Luke's hand to his mouth to lay a kiss to his knuckles in thanks for his concern before he released his hand and made their way through the city. The volume picked up greatly as they neared the walled off segment of the city with only a few gates in and out.

"You can't lock us in here! We've done nothing to cause trouble!"

"I've lived in this city for over a hundred years! Please, there's no need for this!"

Guy frowned as he watched the elves within the walls resist their unjust punishment, wishing he could do more for them. With a brief assessment of the area around them, Guy threw caution to the wind and transformed if only to get over the wall and land neatly near the crowd that had formed. Voices became reverent and hushed, some showing their respect instantly for the dragon. Guy reverted forms and shook his head somewhat as he lifted his hands, trying his best to diffuse the situation. "Please, everyone! We'll give you a better explanation than these guards are giving you, so please, keep calm for now!”

Luke stood beside him and found himself feeling impressed. Guy was being very diligent and taking command, showing impressive leadership qualities. It made feelings of pride swell in his chest.

Upon a cursory glance, Luke could see just how different this part of the city was from the rest of it. While not outright deplorable conditions, it was much more crowded and filthy. The streets were in disrepair and covered in trash, the walls of buildings were in need of new paint- Luke stood there and wondered just why the elves would choose to stay here and face such treatment from the Empress. It almost broke his heart to see this.

“Ban’dinoriel! Please, tell us what is happening!” an elven woman cried out as she clutched her child to her chest.

“Yulia City is under attack,” Luke announced loudly, to the collective horror of the elves. There was a sea of worried gasps and murmurs that arose from such news. “We’re not sure just who is responsible for it yet, but it looks like a group dedicated to driving a wedge between the races. The Empress is… concerned,” and he was using that term lightly, “that attacks might start happening here.”

“So she corralled us all like animals?!” an elven man yelled out. “We’re innocent! We haven’t done anything!” Other elves agreed with him.

“I understand, but-“

“But nothing!” the man spat bitterly. “The human nobility has made sure to treat us as second class citizens for the last two hundred years and I’m sick of it! Have we lost our pride? We are elves! And we deserve better than this!”

More cheers of agreement sounded off and Luke felt dread forming in the pit of his stomach. For them to be riled up so easily, things must have been really, really bad.

The city guards had overheard this and came rushing in, their weapons drawn and aimed towards the elves. “Quiet down you knife eared freaks!” a guard spat out and many elves grew visibly agitated.

“You don’t control us, you damned humans!”

The two factions clashed in the blink of an eye, and Luke was quick to grab hold of Guy’s arm to pull him back away from the resulting chaos. While the elves might not have been armed or armored as the guards had been, the elves had magic at their disposal- and they making use of it. Bolts of elemental magic were hurled at the guards with little care, which the guards would try to reflect with their shields before moving in to strike. Elves that couldn’t fight chose to flee to their homes, and more guards were being called in for backup to quell any unrest, as per the Empress’ implicit instructions.

Luke continued to pull Guy back until they were tucked in a corner alley, away from the bulk of the fighting. This had completely backfired! Coming here was supposed to prevent this chaos from happening, not contribute to it! Tear is not going to take this treatment of her people kindly- this would _definitely_ lead to another war! What the hell was happening!? It was as if everything they worked for was beginning to come unraveled and they had no idea why.

“We- we should go back to Yulia City,” Luke said aloud, his grip on Guy’s arms tight. “This situation has escalated beyond our control. Tear needs to know.”

"You're... you're right. At the very least, we can set something up to- …Luke?”

Something was wrong.

In a split second, Luke’s vision cut out as a crippling migraine nearly caused him to fall over before it was gone. He stood there, eyes wide, breathing heavily, suddenly feeling… weird and _off_ and unable to figure out _why._

“Guy, I don’t… I don’t feel right…” he slurred, hands shaking and clutching onto his mate ever tighter.

“T-take it easy, just breathe,” Guy panicked as he tried to keep his mate steady on his feet. Was it the magic being thrown about? No, headaches usually only came because of Lorelei, but... why now? Did Lorelei know what was happening?

A sharp increase of mana in the area had the two dragons shielding their eyes. Rem, the goddess of light, appeared before them in a magnificent display. The impressively large, white bird swooped down from the heavens and shifted into the guise of a beautiful young woman, though the expression of alarm on her face was anything but.

“Rem?!” Luke gasped, finally letting go of Guy. The gods _never_ came out like this unless it was truly an emergency.

_’Thank heavens I’ve found you, both of you! I don’t know where else to turn! The other gods- they’re disappearing, and Lorelei was just taken!_


	7. Restart

“Lorelei’s been taken?" Guy balked, staring up at the goddess incredulously. What in the hell did she mean ‘taken’? Who could _take_ him? Lorelei was a god, for Sylph’s sake. The only other being he could think of that even remotely had that sort of power had been dead for the last two centuries, killed by Lorelei’s own hand. Honestly, it was silly to even _think_ of the notion.

Even so, Luke grew fearful upon hearing Rem’s pleas, and immediately he tried to call on Lorelei’s power to see for himself, Guy’s interjections be damned. His heart thudded heavily in his chest as he attempted to channel nearby mana through his god. Squeezing his eyes shut, he concentrated, gathering up what mana he could only to feel it slip from his grasp when there was nothing to channel it through. There was no response, and his mouth ran dry. With no power to draw on, no connection that he could hold onto, he was cut off from his greater self. 

That must have been what that sickness was, a few moments ago. He _felt_ Lorelei disappearing…

A cold sweat clung to the back of his neck and started to spread about his body. The nausea and dizziness wasn’t going away either, and to make matters worse, he couldn’t sense his brother anymore, either. Guy reached out and offered a hand to help steady him, which Luke gratefully took as he attempted to regain his wits. 

_’Please, please, heroes, you must find out what is happening—find the others before it is too late! I do not know if we will be able to evade whatever this is for much longer. You must hurry!’_

Rem disappeared within a bright flash of light, leaving the two dragons standing in an empty alleyway with the sounds of rioting growing closer and closer. Spells were wizzing about through the air while metal clashed against metal. Guards called out for backup while the elvish people shouted their magical chants. The smell of blood in the air did little to help Luke’s nausea.

“Luke, talk to me.” Guy gripped his arms tightly as he looked his mate up and down.

“I-I’m alright, I’m alright…” he weakly muttered, trying to muscle his way past the lightheadedness. “We need to get out of here, tell Tear about what happened. Maybe— maybe we can mitigate the war if we get there fast eno—“

“Luke,” Guy squeezed his arms tightly, “we don’t have time for that. Is— is Lorelei really gone?” When Luke nodded slowly, Guy felt his stomach drop. “This takes precedence.” It killed him to say that. He loved Tear and her people, he cared deeply for humanity; the last thing he wanted to see was more fighting breaking out after everything he and Luke had been through. But… if the Gods really were disappearing, this could be cataclysmic. The greater good had to come first.

“But—“ Luke weakly argued, only for Guy to cut him off.

“Do you have any idea where to start looking? Did Lorelei say anything to you before he vanished? What about the others?”

Luke hesitated, going into thought for several moments. He pushed through the pain and discomfort, trying to recall that moment of disappearance without the emotional shock that came with it. A large, flat expanse of marble that overlooked the ocean flashed briefly into his mind. “Um…” it took a moment to parse the image into words, “Hod. I believe Lorelei went missing on Hod. If we want clues, we should head there.”

Oh, of course it would be there. 

Guy was left with a sour taste in his mouth as he dreaded the thought of having to go back to that place. He’d washed his hands clean of that accursed island after having to watch his mate _die_ right in front of him. He vividly recalled the miasma that shrouded the land, how the errant goddess toyed with him like a plaything because of his immunity, or Peony losing his arm to her. Guy’s hands started to feel cold and clammy as his breathing increased. He remembered the tight grip he kept on the damned sword, could hear Cherna’s cackling ringing in his ears as if she was right behind him—

“—Guy!” Luke spoke, snapping Guy out of his stupor.

“What?” Beads of sweat rolled down the side of his face.

“I know.” Luke nodded. “I don’t want to go, either. I feel worse than when I was bound with miasma to you, but you’re right. This takes precedence.” His duty and pride as a former guardian shone through his shaky exterior.

A fireball flew past the opening of the alleyway and crashed into a building on the far side of the street. Guy turned to look at Luke, “Can you fly?” he asked. Luke shook his head and Guy silently cursed under his breath. He’d gotten better at flying thanks to all the practice in Yulia City, but he’d never ferried anyone before. He hoped that Luke’s extra weight didn’t throw him off.

Guy was quick to shift forms, taking up nearly all the space within the alleyway. Leaning over, he picked up Luke by the collar of his tunic with his teeth, much to Luke’s surprise and displeasure, and placed him onto his upper back between his wings. They didn’t have the time to wait for his weakened mate to try to climb up onto him, as city guards took notice of the gigantic creature nearby. The guards moved in to block the exit to the alley, but Guy had no desire to engage with them. Instead, he jumped and snagged his claws into the wall of the nearest building, climbing it up out of the alleyway until he had enough room to spread out his wings and fly.

“G-Guy!” Luke yelled, clutching onto his mate’s spines to avoid falling off. “A little _warning_ next time!”

 

————

 

Hod.

It was… unrecognizable to Luke as they approached the small island. Guy however was instantly taken aback by its sight, causing him to forget flapping his wings for a moment which nearly tumbled them into the sea. The island was gorgeous once more, reminiscent of how it had once been back when he called it home. His heart ached as the memories of his early childhood came rushing up to the surface, only to shake his head when recalling his sister’s face. He was immediately brought back to their nasty dispute with her reincarnation over the elves, and Guy hissed through clenched teeth. That was not his sister, and this was not his home anymore.

“There!” Luke called out, directing Guy to fly up a bit higher so they had a better vantage of the city. From above he could see the large plateau where that final battle had taken place two hundred years ago. It was faint, but there were traces of magic he could detect that had been channeled through Lorelei somewhat recently. “Land here. It happened here!”

Landing carefully along the marble surface, Guy lowered down to allow Luke to dismount. Once passenger free, he reassumed his human appearance before taking in the area around them. Remnants of their fight still lingered upon the platform; stone discolored from both miasma and blood while shattered pieces reminded him of tossed friends and missed strikes.

Cold hands wrapped around his torso and throat, lips pressed to his ear before a possessive tongue ran along his cheek.

“I can’t believe they haven’t rebuilt this place,” Luke spoke, and Guy blinked. 

No one was touching him. That was all in the past. Deep breaths, Guy reminded himself. Despite his efforts to calm down, his hands still trembled a bit, being so close to it all again. 

“How are you feeling?” Guy asked, swallowing back the lump that formed in his throat.

“It feels like I had all of my limbs and senses cut off, but the shock isn’t as bad as it was.” Luke dragged his fingers through his hair as he glanced around the plateau. “I can manage.”

“Okay. Do you sense anything else from Lorelei at all? Things aren’t much different than how we left this place..." There were no people, no monsters, no nothing. Despite two hundred years of progress and development, the people of this island city chose to leave this place alone. It was untouched, left in tact— possibly as a sacred ground where Lorelei overthrew the miasma?

Luke walked about the platform, and flashes of the old battle came into his mind from Lorelei’s perspective… Right, he had been there, even if he hadn’t really been himself at the time. He started to wander off towards the more broken parts of the platform, looking for anything that was different and didn’t match with Lorelei’s recollection of the battle. 

The search came to an end when he found a smudged and faded circle on the ground where Lorelei had struck the final blow. That definitely hadn’t been there before.

“Guy, over here!” he called out, keeping focus to the circle. It was drawn in what looked like blood— so whoever was doing this certainly knew what they were getting into. This was a very complex circle with glyphs he didn’t fully understand or recognize. What was this circle’s purpose?

"What the hell is that?" Guy asked and came to stop at his side

“Guy, manifest a claw for me,” Luke demanded and Guy furrowed his brows.

“What?”

“Just do it for me, will you?”

“Alright, alright.” Guy held out his hand and summoned forth his claws, the black talons protruding from his fingers. Using a claw, Luke pierced his thumb pad and let some blood pool up before he used it to redraw the circle. “What are you doing?” Guy asked warily as his hand reverted back to normal.

“Trying to figure out what this is…” Upon completion, the circle began to glow brightly and there was an abundant increase in mana within the air. “What on Auldrant…?” he breathed out, looking around at the shimmering particles that hung around them.

Their surroundings changed in an instant, leaving them stranded within an unfamiliar space as the mana around them faded. Luke finally placed the blood magic as a bastardized version of teleportation magic, particularly the magic found between gateways, and where it took them, only Lorelei knew. 

They stood within a massive stone chamber, full of people wearing heavy purple robes that shrouded their faces from view. Most of the robed figures congregated around a large stage at the far end of the chamber, chanting a spell of some kind. Immediately Luke’s eyes widened upon recognizing those robes and that chanting. Oh, he remembered it _vividly._ He remembered being chained in a dungeon and tortured with miasma, and the bastard that had done it wore the same damn thing!

What he wouldn’t give to have his power back right now so he could go on a rampage… “Fuck,” Luke said through grit teeth.

“What is it?” Guy asked.

“Miasma cultists. They’ve been a thorn in the guardians’ side for eons.”

Their presence was no longer unnoticed. “Intruders!” a man had called out, his voice echoing across the chamber, and the two dragons were surrounded by the cultists in a matter of moments.

Guy’s hair stood on end as these strange men encircled them, and his eyes darted about looking for some means of escape. He stepped back away from them towards Luke, acting as a protective barrier, when he realized that there were no visible exits. Everything around them was rock and stone. Were they underground? Wait— no. No, they were back in Yulia’s tomb?! A cavern as big as this under Hod, there could be no other place.

“Luke, stay close,” Guy said quietly, “don’t fight unless you have to.” He focused his energy and shifted forms once more, spreading his wings out with a loud roar that caused the chamber to rumble. Two of the nearest cultists were knocked back in the process, but the rest seemed steadfast, almost enticed to move forward at this new revelation.

“A dragon!”

“They come!”

"If her children come to us, then the time must be near!” 

Guy reared back to attack, planning to carve a path through the seemingly endless numbers of cultists when a sight upon the stage stopped him. Two cultists, one tall and thin while the other short and fat, wore heavily embellished robes that differentiated them from the rest of the cultists. The tall and thin one had Tear in his company, her hands bound behind her back while he kept a blade to her throat. 

“Move, and the princess dies,” he threatened.

“Be careful! They took Asch and the eggs!” she blurted out in a hurry only for the cultist to press the blade against her flesh.

“Silence, wretch!” he commanded, and she tilted her head back as far as she could, trying to avoid cutting herself. “You are collateral, nothing more.”

“Easy now, Dist, the princess is our ‘esteemed’ guest.” The other cultist stepped forwards and paced around them. “It was her blood that allowed us access into these hallowed chambers, after all. And what a beautiful place for a rebirth! Everything has fallen right into place. Rejoice, for we are blessed this day!” The fat cultist laughed.

“What do you want? Where is my brother?!” Luke demanded, moving to step forwards, but Guy was quick to block his path with his tail in hopes of keeping Luke from making a rash decision.

“He’s asking questions, Mohs,” Dist urged, giving him a crazed look from under his hood.

“I noticed.” Mohs shrugged indifferently, continuing to pace about the stage. “It doesn’t matter, though. Everything is where we need it to be.”

“Isn’t it too soon?” Dist asked, pulling the blade away from Tear’s throat ever so slightly. “We only have four of the seven gods in our possession. The ones that are still free could fight us back.”

“Without Lorelei, they’ll be powerless to stop her. And the last piece of Lorelei is right in front of us.” 

Luke’s eyes widened. Oh, it was not difficult to figure out what they were trying to do now, and it _disgusted_ him to his very core. _”Where is Asch?!”_ he snarled in the most animalistic way he could muster in this form.

Mohs pulled out a large, golden mana crystal from his robes and held it up for the dragons to see. “In here, with Lorelei.” 

Luke felt his heart stop. No. No, no, _fuck no, not again!_ An unhinged rage filled him and he lunged, vaulting over Guy’s tail much to fast for the bronze to stop him. He was going to tear that man apart and anyone who tried to stand in his way! Tear’s precarious situation no longer even registered in his mind.

“Mages!” Mohs called out, and two paralyzing glyphs appeared; the same kind of glyph used on Jade back at the palace in Yulia city; one under Luke, the other under Guy. The two of them were immediately frozen into place, unable to move no matter how much either of them struggled against it.

“Cowards!” Luke screamed, trying his damndest to thrash his way out of his magical restraints.

Dist cackled gleefully, scraping the blade against Tear’s throat. She quivered under his grasp, shutting her eyes tightly. Ever so lightly he cut the skin, the princess’ blood seeping out and rolling down her neck. “Finally, some excitement! We haven’t had any fun in ages, Mohs. I’m eager to see some sacrifices already. Let’s start with her! Oh, let’s!” 

“Patience, Dist. Patience,” Mohs attempted to placate him. “Save the sacrifices for after Her Ladyship is brought back to us. She’ll need them to regain her strength.”

“You can’t be serious!” Guy snapped. “Why? Why would you ever try to bring that monster _back?!_ She’s evil!”

The cultists surrounding them hissed lowly and Dist pulled the knife away from Tear’s throat to point it towards the dragon. “Watch your tongue, you cur!”

“She almost destroyed the world!” Guy argued back. “There was so much death and destruction— you would welcome that back?!”

“Willingly!” Dist laughed and laughed, shoving Tear over to some lower ranked cultists that stood somewhat off to the side of the stage. “You see, Lorelei messed up two hundred years ago and interrupted a _very_ important prophecy.”

“The Black Star shall swallow the sun and drown the world in shadow,” Mohs recited, looking down at the mana crystal in his hands that seemingly dulled in fear. “The world was supposed to end, but you,” he pointed at Luke, “you and your god screwed that up! This world is rotten and needs to be cleansed! And those that survive shall be granted a place in eternal paradise.”

If Luke hadn’t been hellbent on ripping that man’s throat out, he would have laughed. Miasma cultists were crazy, he’d known that for years, but this brought them to a whole new level. Paradise? He and Guy had seen firsthand what sort of ‘paradise’ that creature wrought. These fools were dangerously misguided. Why the hell couldn’t they all just kill themselves instead of trying to take the entire world with them?

“That’s insane!” Guy argued in a panic. He would be the only one to survive in that scenario because of his bloodline, and that was not paradise. That was hell.

“Enough with the talking!” Dist interrupted him, turning his attention to Mohs, “We waste time. Kill the red and let us commence the ceremony!”

“Very well. Mages,” Mohs called out once more. 

An arcane bolt flew by and shot Luke in the head. He collapsed to the floor in a thud, a pool of blood quickly welling up beneath him that seeped into the stone. 

Tear screamed in horror as Guy’s guttural roar echoed off the chamber walls.

They just _killed_ him!

The mana crystal flashed brightly for a brief moment, and a sickening smile came to Mohs’ face. “We have all of Lorelei now. Ready the ceremony!”

Guy pulled against the glyph as hard as he could and snarled. "You think I can't stop you like I stopped her?!" The smell of blood hit his nostrils and he wanted to throw up. His mind raced, barely comprehending what was happening around him anymore as the magic pulled him one way and his emotions pulled him another. 

Tear was alive, that was his next priority. Vengeance was a close second. His mind reeled for an escape, fighting with all he had to somehow simply break his magical bindings by any means necessary.

A cultist grunt came out from the sidelines, carrying with him in his arms the three dragon eggs while another cultist began to draw an impressive spell circle on the center of the stage. Once that was completed, the crystal containing Lorelei was set in the center, with the three eggs placed strategically around the outer edge of the circle.

Tear’s eyes widened. They were using the eggs as an enhancer for the spellwork. It’d never even occurred to her that they could have been used for such a thing, but it made sense— after all, dragons were beings of incredible mana that could theoretically be tapped into. This would undoubtedly destroy the eggs though.

While Dist was distracted by talking with Mohs as preparations for the ceremony were being made, Tear started to concentrate. The lowly cultists standing guard over her now wouldn’t take notice of her own spellwork. Lorelei may have been trapped, but she could still channel mana through him at this range, and that was all she needed. It took her a moment to build up the mana, trying not to create an abundance too quickly to alert her captors, but once she had enough, she cast a powerful time stop spell.

Immediately she stepped away from her captors and ran to Guy’s side, glad that as a dragon, he was immune to time magic and the two of them could collaborate.

“Guy!” She turned to try and use one of his claws to cut through her bindings. “I— I’m so sorry. A-after you and Luke left for Grand Chokmah these men ambushed the palace and took me and Asch hostage.” She cut herself free and rubbed at her raw wrists.

"This isn't your fault," Guy croaked. The both of them slowly looked down at Luke’s lifeless body, and they stood in a stunned silence. They had to fix this. This wasn’t right. 

“I can— I can try to turn back time,” she said hoarsely, “b-but I need to tap into the mana inside of you. I won’t have enough power otherwise.”

"Tear," he spoke more softly, but the strain was evident in his voice. "If you need everything I have, then use it. We... can't let everything we did before go to waste." His head dipped lower, settling nearly eye level with the elf before him. "Do whatever you have to.”

Tear’s hands trembled violently as she stood before the mighty bronze. Even with his permission to tap into his magics, she hesitated and reflected upon her mentor’s words. Time magic was powerful, volatile, and dangerous. Turning it back to change things in your favor could have devastating, unforeseen consequences. As such, not once in her many years in this world had Tear ever used time magic to go backwards— but drastic times called for drastic measures. They could not allow this present to transpire; they could prevent Luke’s death, they could get the drop on the cultists, they could stop all of this!

She pressed her palms to Guy’s scales and concentrated— feeling her mind pull in various directions as she struggled to channel new time magic while maintaining their current stasis. 

Please, she silently begged to the gods, hoping that those remaining could hear her pleas, please let this work.

Time rewound before their eyes, but Tear could only channel so far before mana exhaustion caught up with her. She collapsed to her hands and knees as time restarted. They were a few minutes back, Luke was alive, thank the gods, but they were still surrounded and vastly outnumbered.

“Tear?!” Luke took a startled step back, unsure of how she had suddenly teleported from the platform to right next to him. The cultists were also alarmed by this.

“How the hell-?!” Dist staggered backwards. “M-Mages!” Dist shouted angrily. Tear was too slow in casting. Luke was killed again before she could even blink. So she tried again, and again, each time with increasing desperation as her mana exhaustion decreased the amount of time they could go back. 

She couldn’t channel anymore. Her head throbbed and she could barely keep her eyes open while blood poured from her nose. The nearby cultists grabbed her and dragged her away while others worked on trying to subdue Guy. In the corner of her eye she could see the unholy ceremony begin on the platform and she knew that they were damned. This… This had all been for naught? 

No.

There was one sliver of hope. It would consume her very being to pull this off, but it would give them a fighting chance. She just hoped that Guy would forgive her for this. 

Calling upon all of her power and using every last possible drop, she destroyed herself to cast one final, powerful time spell.

There was a swell of mana that Guy felt in force, something warm yet frantic about it. Blue eyes widened as Tear's body withered and vanished in a concentration of mana. He tried to lunge against the sigil but remained in place. 

They'd failed. Everything they had done, all of their sacrifices... As Guy's eyes fell once more onto the limp form of his beloved beside him, a shrill cry of agony sounded from the dragon.

A shrill cry of agony that ended as he bolted upright in his cot. “Luke—!“ He choked out a sob, sweat and tears rolled down his face and neck as he labored for breath, pressing his hand to his chest to feel his raging heart. He shook violently for several long moments as slowly, he gained the rest of his senses and realized he wasn’t where he had been. Looking down, there was a human hand pressed to his chest, and the clothes he wore were familiar... Military issue.

With his heart no longer pounding in his ears, he could hear the noise of soldiers and horses in the background. He then took notice of his left hand, where the ring he'd once flaunted was absent. What had happened? Had that all been some extensive and elaborate dream turned nightmare?

“Hey, Guy!” The tent flap was pulled aside and a man dressed in a Malkuth military uniform peered in. “You okay? We heard you screaming from the other side of camp.”

Guy stared at him for a long moment. “Jensen…?”

“Yeah? You alright?”

“I— I don’t know…” his voice still trembled.

“Well, you’re gonna wanna suck it up. Colonel Curtiss wants to speak with you about some important matter.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all, sorry that this chapter took so long to get out. I got real, real sick for a while and ended up having surgery, so I was out of commission until recently. I'm recovering and everything's okay now, and I'm glad I was able to get this out and continue working on a story I'm very passionate about.
> 
> Merry Christmas!


	8. Bound

_Gnome Redecan, Gnomeday 18 N.D. 2018_

Guy stared, eyes wide and full of terror, long after Jensen had left his tent to return to his soldierly duties. His mind tried to comprehend what was happening around him, to register Jensen’s words about _Jade_ calling for him when the blue dragon had been dead for the last two hundred years, when a twinge of panic shot through his core. Immediately he began to shake because his body felt _wrong._ He was small, unable to sense any sort of mana either around or within him, and his connection to the earth was severed. With a trembling hand he reached out and placed it against the cold, hard ground, doing his damndest to will grass and flowers to sprout forth. Nothing came to fruition, and his mouth ran dry.

He leaned forwards and attempted to transform, but he remained as he was. Guy raised his hands up to look at them, shaking violently as he realized he wasn’t a dragon anymore. The shock made him sick to his stomach and the urge to vomit was there, but a small glint of light in the corner of his eye drew his attention. Slowly he turned to see what it was, and immediately his veins iced over.

The Jewel of Gardios, sheathed and whole, lay atop his trunk of personal effects. That—that wasn’t right. He shattered the blade within Cherna’s chest… Why was it…?

Tear’s scream as she destroyed herself casting her spell echoed in his mind and he doubled over, covering his ears as he choked back a sob. They’d been dabbling with time magic in an attempt to stop the cult, and he finally realized that Tear had sent him back too far. He was right back at the very beginning, and there was nothing that he could do about it.

Everything was reset. Relationships, memories, places— Daath still existed, Baticul hadn’t collapsed, Malkuth and Kimlasca were separate entities, and Eldrant… Eldrant was once again below them, hidden from everyone. The very idea of having to trudge through everything all over again made Guy want to die. He couldn’t. Not again. He couldn’t bear to watch all that agony and suffering.

But… Luke was alive. Guy had to fight his instincts to run out of the tent and make his way back up to the cave because he knew Luke would not recognize him. How could he? Right now, they were perfect strangers. Their love for one another never happened, and Guy gasped as a horrible, hollow feeling was left in his chest.

It took quite a while for Guy to recompose himself. It had definitely been a struggle to calm down and think rationally about his situation without letting errant emotions get the better of him. It’s true, he didn’t want to have to go through everything all over again, to be the only one with memories that will never happen, but… Tear had given him a chance. He could theoretically stop the major calamities that were about to befall the world—if he was careful. The idea of somehow stopping Cherna from ever reforming was an intoxicating thought.

Luke wouldn’t have to suffer this time. He wouldn’t have to die, go blind, if he played his cards right. This would… this would all be for him.

Guy rose to his feet, his legs feeling rubbery and numb, and forced himself to dress properly. Once he finished buckling the last strap to his armor, he looked over to the family sword and stared at it. His gut told him to disregard it, throw it away into some dark hole and let it rot for all eternity, but he knew better. He had to keep it close, safeguard it from anyone who would take it and fall victim to its ill-effects. Reaching out, he picked it up and strapped it to his belt, hating every moment how natural it felt to have that cursed blade back at his side.

Taking one last moment for himself, he slapped his cheeks a couple of times to bring him back to the present. With a deep breath, he pushed aside the tent flap, and stepped out into the encampment. Instantly he was greeted with familiar sights; the rows of tents, soldiers clustered together as they rested, strategy meetings over on the far side of camp, horses tied to hitching posts. Hell, he could even smell the over spiced, horrible slop he’d have to eat again while here. It was… surreal, being back here.

He made his way to the eastern part of camp where Jade’s tent was and he held his breath. Should he tell the dragon the truth outright? Would Jade even believe him? Would it be better to keep information to himself? Thoughts raced throughout his mind at a mile a minute as without thinking, he pushed open the tent flap.

And there Jade was, seated behind his makeshift desk, going over military reports. Memories of Jade’s confession back in Akzeriuth bubbled to the forefront of his mind and anger rose up in his throat. Right… He’d nearly forgotten… This was all just a terrible ruse Jade was putting up in an attempt to kill him. Guy clenched his teeth so hard his jaw hurt.

The disguised dragon looked up from his reports and set them aside. “Ah, there you are.”

“You wanted to see me, sir?” Guy asked, his voice tight.

“Yes, Master Gailardia,” he spoke and Guy twitched.

“Just stick with ‘Guy’, alright?”

Jade raised his brows, “Someone’s had a bad morning.”

“You’ve no idea…” he muttered darkly, casting his gaze down to the sword at his side.

“Well, I do hate to inform you that it may be getting a bit worse as I have a task for you. Asinine and likely nothing, the scouts insist I look into a potential dragon sighting.” It took everything in Guy's power not to scoff at the irony. “It’s highly unlikely that this dragon even exists, and more likely that the scouts are just terrified, running on superstition or rumors. But, I have a duty to listen to my soldiers in times of war. At the moment I have my own work to attend to while Brigadier General Frings is returning from Kaitzur, so I would like to have you look into the matter for me.” 

Jade was met with a less than receptive look to the idea, which he had expected. He hadn’t expected Guy to carry such a, dare he say, somewhat menacing presence to him. It was almost unnerving, but he knew better than to let his façade slip.

“Don’t give me that look, Gailardia. Bad dreams or not, this is a direct order from your military superior. It was supposedly last seen around the bend on the western pass- I’ll have you outfitted with a standard requisition pack and a horse to get you there faster. Make sure to take an extra canteen of water with you, it’s supposed to be hot today.”

Had Guy not been tormented with the vivid memories of what transpired before he'd been brought back, he might have found some amusement in the fact that Jade was foregoing the entirety of his dragon hunting lineage in his excuse. Maybe it was due to the fact that Guy didn't give him questions about the dragon hunting, or maybe it was because he didn't hold himself somewhat meekly as he had before. Regardless, he nodded his head when Jade gave him his orders.

"I'll come back in one piece," he replied with a salute before he turned to head out of the tent. That jab was certainty. He had managed to wriggle his way out of death at Luke's claws once before, and now that he knew the dragon heart and soul, there was no doubt he could do it without any sort of issue. The biggest question was held by the blade at his side as he went to collect his pack and horse. 

Would he have to bind Luke again to make this work?

Guy's love for the dragon left him conflicted because on one hand, binding Luke to him while knowing what he was doing felt downright cruel unlike the accident that bound them initially. On the other hand, if he didn’t, then Luke would have no incentive to come with him. As he straddled his horse and checked his provisions, he decided he'd try and reason with him first and if necessary, he'd bind him as he had before.

It all came down to how hot-headed and stubborn the red dragon happened to be which, knowing Luke... He'd be bringing the binding on himself.

The directions he'd been given by the scouts were forgotten, for he knew the path to their cave clearly now. Their cave… As Guy rode off with his own thoughts, the daunting realization he had about Luke not knowing him earlier came back to crush him. Guy's fingers clenched the reins as he tried to steel himself. Maybe if he was lucky, somehow Luke's consciousness was taken back with him and this would all go smoothly.

He quashed that thought before it had a chance to take root. Pointlessly hoping would make this harder.

The heat kept him vigilant as he drank down some of his canteen, arriving at the cave he once slept in for hundreds of years. He dismounted, tying the horse to a nearby tree, and wasted no time in striding into the cave with purpose, following the familiar path back into it's depths. Breathing echoed briefly from the walls and Guy felt a wave of relief. Luke was alive, as he should be. Logically, he knew that it would be the case, but it was so comforting to be able to confirm it firsthand.

Coming down around a sharp curve, Guy passed by the gigantic pool where he’d stopped to take a drink the first time around, instead continuing his path into the heart of the den. It wasn’t before long he was standing before the mass expanse of treasure that littered the cavern’s floor.

Guy closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Revak’Yolus!” he called out loudly, his voice echoing throughout the chamber. 

Not a moment later the treasure shifted, and thousands of gold coins, jewels, and other fanciful trinkets spilled over from their piles onto the ground. Guy held his breath and watched as the proud dragon, with familiar scales of crimson with golden flecks and piercing green eyes, stepped into view. He towered over Guy, just as he had before, and maintained an impressive presence that would have elicited a terrified reaction had he not already been acquainted with this situation. And this made the dragon curious.

Luke stared down at the unflinching mortal, flexing his claws through the dirt, trying to get some sense of this creature. The man wore armor, had a sword at his side—dragon hunter, most likely. But then, how would he have known his true name? It would be best to proceed with caution, Luke decided.

“Who are you?” his voice grumbled deeply, and Guy swallowed back a lump in his throat.

“Yuvon’Osley,” Guy replied without even thinking.

That was not what Luke wanted to hear. He started to growl, bearing his teeth as he exhaled smoke through his nostrils. “Try again, mortal! You speak Dovah’mir but you are no dragon. Now, _who_ are you?”

Guy’s mind went blank. If he tried to tell Luke the truth now, the red would kill him without hesitation. He’d forgotten just how blindly devoted Luke was to his position as a guardian.

“Speak before I tear you apart for trespassing!” Luke roared, wings flaring out, and instinctively Guy’s hand reached for the hilt of his blade. His eyes wandered down to it and he knew the choice he had to make. Luke was too volatile to reason with like this—the dragon having often boasted about holding power over mortals. If he wanted Luke to listen to him, he needed to be on equal ground, and the only way to do that…

Guy exhaled sharply and looked up at Luke in the eyes, finding his mate’s displays of aggression to be uninspiring. Letting go of the blade’s hilt, he raised his hands up into the air as a show of good faith before speaking. “My name’s Guy. Yuvon’Osley was a name given to me by a dragon, one of your reds.”

Luke stared. A fellow red gave him that name…? There hadn’t been red dragons besides he and his brother in ages… Was he an acquaintance of Asch’s? He reared his head back at that thought, as it was certainly a possibility, and all things considered it made the most sense. Though at the same time, the idea of his brother getting to know a human was… hard to believe. Asch had never been social, even when they spent their time living among humans to master their guises and spellcraft. But how else would this man just stroll into his den and know his name, standing there unflinching in the presence of a powerful dragon?

“And _why_ are you here?”

“My commanding officer ordered me to investigate the dragon sighting.”

Luke’s eyes narrowed in annoyance. He shouldn’t have been surprised this child was with the military, they’d been littering his mountain pass with their corpses for the past two years. Still, this posed an opportunity. He could use this human as a mouthpiece… Decimating armies of both nations with his fire would draw even more unwanted attention to him, but if he gave a stern enough threat… “Boy, you are hopelessly outmatched. That little toothpick you're carrying there won't even scratch my hide, and it would be so easy to just eat you.”

“Don’t remind me…” Guy muttered under his breath, pushing _those_ lovely memories aside to focus on the situation at hand. 

“This isn't the first time your kind has encroached upon my territory, and I want it to be the last. So drop your weapon, turn around, and get out.”

Guy feigned ignorance, “You’re letting me go?” 

“On one condition.” Luke cocked his head to one side, staring down at him in almost a condescending manner, “You tell the humans that have invaded my territory to get the hell out and never come back.”

“I can try,” Guy offered flatly, “but there’s nothing that I can do about Kimlasca’s troops.”

“That is not my problem. If the mountain pass is not cleared out by tomorrow night I will destroy both of your armies without hesitation. Have I made myself clear, human?” 

Guy nodded slowly, keeping his eyes trained on the dragon as he then lowered his weapon down onto the ground. He then raised his hands back into the air to show he was still unarmed, and took several more steps back to put distance between them.

“Alright. I’ll think of something.” 

Luke eyed the human for a few more moments, and then, seemingly satisfied, turned around to walk off, many more of the treasure piles spilling out onto the ground with each step he took.

——

Guy made the trek back to the encampment in near record time, idly counting just how long it would be before the red dragon came to yell at him for what he had done. This time, it was entirely on purpose and he could admit to feeling a little guilty about it.

"Oh, you're back," Jade greeted almost skeptically as Guy strode by his tent. "I take it the so-called dragon is vanquished?"

Guy turned at the flap of the tent, looking at the dragon with a cold gaze. “Didn't even put up a fight." Which was no lie. Luke hadn't so much as intimidated him let alone actually tried to harm him.

Jade spent a great deal of energy not to look surprised by this news, but even with his resolve, some of his emotion managed to leak through. His eyebrows shot up and he stared at Guy before reeling himself back in, trying to recover from that lapse.

"Truly?" he questioned, setting his pen down and shuffling his paperwork aside. "Forgive my skepticism but it's hard to imagine that a dragon wouldn't put up a fight against a knight trying to vanquish it..." Especially a red dragon who are known for their love of fighting and violence—especially Luke. But as Jade looked on at Guy, he could tell that he was speaking the truth. Not the whole truth, oh no, he could easily tell that Guy was holding back plenty of information, but what he did speak was honest. His eye drifted down to the missing blade that should have been attached to Guy's hip. Gods above, what a terrifying weapon...

"Well... that takes care of that, then. I'll inform the scouts and see if we can recover anything of use in its den. I hear that dragon bone and hide makes for especially effective weapons and armor, and that could give us the edge we need in the war." Jade took notice of Guy's absolute disinterest in the topic and frowned. He was not acting like himself as of late, and this was worrying. The young lad had been eager and spry in the early days of his enlistment a few months ago, ready to serve his country and his emperor, but now he was acting like a seasoned soldier. A seasoned soldier that had experienced countless battles and was especially intimate with death.

"Gailardia," Jade stood up from his desk, "are you alright? I make it a point to keep an open tent flap policy for my soldiers if they're in need. You've been acting distant and distracted. I understand that my orders to deal with that beast alone might instill feelings of resentment but I assure you, your lineage and weapon were taken into special consideration for the task.”

"I guess I was just lucky." Guy replied with a casual shrug.

"Lucky?" Jade repeated with a quirked brow and a somewhat forced laugh. "I suppose that's one way to put it." Reaching up to adjust his glasses, he eyed Guy for any sign of conflict whatsoever. No scorch marks or cut fabric... He barely looked anything beyond weathered from the ride itself. This surely was an unusual situation. The confusion only grew when Guy spoke next about the materials they could have collected.

"You'll be wasting resources if you send anyone out there unless you want the treasure," he argued back. Luke would be here soon, bound to human form, thus there would be nothing of real merit to retrieve. Knowing that however, Jade would soon see Luke and truly know that Guy hadn't been forward with what had happened. Funny, he mused, considering Jade himself was never entirely forward with them either. He had been about to leave and eat, to wait for the red dragon to appear, but Jade questioned him on his well being. Again, he shrugged and turned to eye him over his shoulder.

"Perfectly fine, sir. There's just a lot on my mind, but it won't weigh me down.”

"...Well, I'll take your word for it then,” Jade agreed somewhat reluctantly, for it didn't take much to tell that there was indeed something else at play here. As Guy left, he templed his fingers and stared for a long while at the tent flap. He had been completely ignorant to anything magical before, and yet he seemed unfazed by a dragon... What had happened to bring along such a change in character?

——

Time trickled on slowly, very slowly.

Gods, the wait was agonizing. He had several hours to kill before that beautiful, beautiful creature would come shambling into camp screaming at him, threatening him. Passing the time almost physically hurt as he tried to find some ways to occupy himself. Eating the military slop only took so long, and there were so many stories his fellow infantry men could tell—tales of skirmishes along the mountain pass, where they squashed Kimlascan filth beneath their boots, or their conquests back home with the milk maids and wenches that left a sour taste in Guy’s mouth. Wandering the camp led him past Jade’s tent a couple of times and he was careful not to let his gaze linger on the blue for too long—best not to rouse any suspicions. 

Eventually he ended up at a meeting discussing strategy and planned assaults. It seemed like the scouts had managed to uncover one of Kimlasca's military encampments on the south side of the pass, and Malkuth was preparing an ambush; take them by surprise, crush them, then swoop into the city to fortify it. The war was, ultimately, about this damned mining city, the late princess aside. How long would it take the military officials to figure out that this was all set up by the Dark Wings?

Eventually the sun fell, bringing night with it. The fires crackled and kept the troops warm as winds howled through the pass. The slop was no good the second time around.

“—there you are, you lying, two-faced brat!” a very loud, very angry voice shouted from the other side of camp, drawing the attention of several soldiers. 

Ah, finally. Finally they could begin. 

There he was, dressed in fine clothing of silks and velvets with a hood covering his head, holding the damned blade in colorful swaths of fabric in his arms. Many of the soldiers stood up and clamored amongst one another, unsure of who this intruder was. A few went so far as to try and intercept him, but Luke pushed past and stormed across the campground until he stood just before Guy. 

“You think you’re so smart? You think that you can make me look like a fool?! I should kill you right now!” he shouted, throwing the sword at Guy with force before moving in to punch him square across the jaw.

Guy caught his fist in his hand. He could live without getting punched again over this. Despite knowing exactly who he happened to be, Guy had to play some sort of ignorance again just so Luke wouldn't get overly suspicious of him. Knowing of dragons didn't necessarily mean he knew that they could turn human in appearance.

"I don't know who you are but I doubt I've lied to you," Guy argued, pushing Luke’s fist away from him.

"Is everything alright?" one of the other soldiers from the amassing crowd asked. "Should we get the Colonel?"

"We're fine.” Guy answered quickly. “If we need to, I'll take this guy to him myself.”

"Like hell you will!" Luke shouted angrily as he made a move to throw another punch. He was intercepted by a couple of soldiers who grabbed his arms and twisted them up behind his back. Another grabbed his hood and pulled, revealing the most striking red hair any of them had ever seen.

“Oh shit! It’s a Kimlascan! Someone go get the Colonel!” a soldier shouted as a few of the now gathered crowd ran off. The redhead kicked his leg backwards and shattered the knee of the soldier that had grabbed his arm, pulling free from his grasp as the soldier dropped down to the ground screaming. Luke lunged forwards to grab hold of Guy’s collar.

“What the hell did you do to me?!” he snarled angrily.

“—what in blazes is going on out here!?” Jade’s voice cut in as he and even more Malkuth soldiers came trotting out to the source of the commotion. Luke had gone in to throw yet another punch at Guy, but a nearby soldier tackled into him and forced him down onto the ground where he was kept pinned by their weight.

“Get off of me!” Luke yelled, thrashing violently beneath the soldier as Jade walked up to him. It took one look down at Luke before he promptly turned to Guy and noticed the half-bundled sword.

“I want the both of you in my tent, now,” he barked, pivoting on the balls of his feet to turn around walk off towards his tent.

“Get up onto your feet, you brat!” the soldier spat as the redhead continued to struggle.

“I swear I will kill you all!” Luke stamped his foot on the ground repeatedly, still trying to worm his way out of their grasp.

In retrospect, Guy realized, it may have been wise to intercept Luke's coming into the camp. There would have been less attention, less chaos, and he probably could have made even a little progress with trying to calm the dragon down.

He collected his sword and got up to his feet, taking a moment to dust himself off before following after Jade to his tent. He stepped in, watching as Luke was practically tossed in by his fellow soldiers. 

"Sir, do you need our help?" one of the soldiers asked and Jade, tight jawed, shook his head.

"No, I can handle it from here. Dismissed.” 

They saluted and left, leaving Jade alone with these two very interesting beings. Luke was livid, angry, appropriate for a red dragon. Meanwhile Guy, who stood beside him, still seemed unfazed by this all. He turned to Guy, "Gailardia, I expect an explanation for this."

"Shouldn't you be asking him that?" Guy questioned and gestured to Luke, but the colonel kept his eyes locked. A pregnant pause filled the air before Guy sighed and relented. "I don't know how, but this man here has the sword I left with the dragon back in the cave.”

“Drop the act!” Luke spat bitterly at Guy through painfully grit teeth, his eyes narrow. “You know bloody well who I am! You don’t just get to walk into someone’s territories as a human and—!” His rant was cut off as the wound on his hand grew, the sounds of sizzling flesh filling the tent followed swiftly by a sharp cry.

Jade looked most intrigued by this as he raised his brows. “Do go on,” he encouraged, and Luke took a couple moments to gather himself, trying to fight through the agonizing pain.

“That one,” Luke pointed at Guy, “that human walked into the heart of my territory without any fear and dared to introduce himself as a dragon! Yuvon’Osley he called himself.”

Jade’s gaze slowly gravitated to Guy, with a haunted but calculating expression on his face. ”Is that so?” he asked, his lips pressed into a firm line. “And where would he have learned to do that, exactly?” He brought his hands around behind his back, where he gripped his wrist hard—painfully so. Where did Guy learn these things, indeed? Yuvon’Osley- a silly name obviously played off of his true name, Gailardia; a golden flower. Whatever this was, this was most definitely a recent development, the change within his soldier was too abrupt to be natural, too—

No…

No, that was too convenient an answer. What a ridiculous notion; he almost scoffed out loud at the idea. But, it offered the best explanation, no matter how farfetched it seemed…

“…You’ve done this before, haven’t you?”


End file.
